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What now for Toronto librarians?

March 20, 2009 - 11:33am — Blake

As has been reported elsewhere this week, 2,400 Toronto city librarians have abandoned membership in the Toronto Civic Employees Union (TCEU) Local 416. Last Tuesday, a total of 1,309 librarians cast votes on whether to stay or leave, and an overwhelming 1,037 voted in favour of leaving and forming their own union.

“The simple [explanation] is we want to speak for ourselves as library workers,” says Rob Rolfe, chair of the TCEU’s library division.

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March 20, 2009 - 3:41pm — Anonymous

Why have a union at all?

Here's a question: why are librarians in unions at all? Unions originated as organizations to protect workers like miners or mill workers. Accountants don't have a union, for example. They protect their interests by having legally mandated educational and testing requirements. Librarians should seek to be like other highly educated professionals instead.

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March 23, 2009 - 12:01pm — Anonymous

As it is, the librarians and

As it is, the librarians and the janitors are represented by the same union so if Management wants to replace the former with the latter, the union doesn't kick up a fuss. And the union pushed through seniority as the only way to fill a job when a majority of librarians said they wanted it based on merit.

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March 23, 2009 - 6:38pm — Auntie Nanuuq

To Union or Not to Union

Hmmm...I vote no, because I have seen our union lose site of the very few members we have...they concentrate on the larger, non-professional and by far more vocal groups....

They now focus on our part-time workers...who work if & when they please....

I think inequity is a good word here to explain our union...besides Librarians are in a unique position, unlike clerical & blue collar workers...

But that's just my belief.

>^..^<

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April 11, 2009 - 9:20pm — Anonymous

How wonderful

Its probably beacue they are the only ones smart enough to actually form a new union of their own.

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