Geneva Public Library employees have voted to form a union with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31, the same as St. Charles Public Library employees, who joined AFSCME in 2021.

According to a news release from the union, Geneva employees filed their majority interest petition with the Illinois Labor Relations Board on May 28. Once the board certifies the union, AFSCME will represent about 55 library employees.

“An empowered and unified workforce leads to greater employee satisfaction, retention, and productivity, resulting in a better library for everyone,” according to a letter from the union organizing committee to fellow workers. ”To that end, we have filed to form a worker’s union of Geneva Public Library staff in order to collectively claim a seat at the table where decisions are made in this institution that means so much to us and to our community.”

AFSCME represents more than 35,000 library workers nationwide, including some 3,000 in Illinois, according to the release.

“We look forward to working collaboratively and respectfully with the new bargaining unit as we continue to advance the Library’s mission to connect our community to discover, inspire, and grow,” Library Director Christine Lazaris wrote in an email response to a request for comment.

AFSCME spokesman Anders Lindall said the labor board will give library officials an opportunity to respond. If there is no objection, the board would certified that the majority of employees are seeking representation and then it would certify the results, he said.

“Our next steps are for the library workers to develop their bargaining committee and their initial proposals and get to the table with their employers to bargain a first contract,” Lindall said.

The thought of libraries as just places where people check out books and periodicals is outdated, Lindall said.

“Libraries in 2026 have become incredibly vibrant and complex centers of their community where people can get internet access, community meeting spaces, take classes, so much more in addition to to conduct research,” Lindall said.

The unionization moves comes “at a time when libraries – and by extension library workers and library patrons – are under threat from federal funding cuts, from state and local finding strains and from censorship and book bans,” Lindall said.

“These are just some of the challenges that libraries face when they are asked to do more and more and to be more and more but too often given less and less,” Lindall said.

The union vote isn’t about a single issue at the library, Lindall said.

“They are doing this out of love for the library, the service they provide and community they serve by having a voice in all decisions that affect them at work. Geneva library employees make the library not only a better place for them, but for all,” Lindall said.