Library Workers in Missouri Announce Union with CWA

On Friday, March 27, workers across the Mid-Continent Public Library (MCPL) system held a press conference to announce their intention to join CWA Local 6360 in Kansas City, Mo.

MCPL is one of the largest library systems in the United States, serving more than 840,000 residents across the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The union includes part-time and full-time librarians, early literacy associates, information technology workers, and other staff who support the daily operations of the library system.

“We are forming a union because we care deeply about this work and because our community deserves a library system where the people with the day-to-day knowledge and expertise have a real voice in how that work is done,” said MCPL Workers United-CWA Local 6360 organizing committee member and Outreach Librarian Lisa Campbell.

A majority of the nearly 700 union-eligible workers at MCPL signed a public declaration of support for MCPL Workers United-CWA with plans to deliver it to MCPL Executive Director and CEO Aaron Mason, but management immediately refused to accept the petitions. To begin the formal election process, organizers have now submitted their petition to the Missouri State Board of Mediation.

Read the full press release here.