St. Charles Library union, management bargaining team to bring in mediator for ongoing negotiations

The Friends of St. Charles Public Library will hold a used magazine and children’s book sale from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jan. 7 in the Huntley Community Room.

St. Charles Public Library employees union and the library’s management bargaining team are bringing in a mediator to help with ongoing negotiations. The two sides have been in negotiations since April 2022.

According to a press release from the library, the two sides have “successfully reached more than 50 tentative agreements to date.”

“Last fall, the parties began negotiating over economic terms and conditions of employment, including wages, group health insurance and other benefits. Recently, the parties jointly requested the assistance of a neutral mediator as they continue to negotiate final terms for the initial collective bargaining agreement. The library is hopeful that, with the assistance of a mediator, the parties will reach an agreement in the near future,” the release stated.

In July 2021, the majority of employees at the library filed to form a union through AFSCME (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees) Council 31. The union currently represents 83 St. Charles Public Library staff members.

The union was certified in November 2021.

The library’s administration and managers are not part of the union. Negotiations over economic terms and conditions of employment including wages, health insurance and other benefits began last fall.

According to the release, the parties jointly requested the assistance of a neutral mediator as they continue to negotiate final terms for the initial collective bargaining agreement.

Union staff representative Carla Williams said Wednesday that bringing in a mediator is in an effort to reach a fair agreement.

“Our intent in jointly requesting federal mediation is with the hope of being able to reach an agreement with the employer that both works for library workers and assists us in providing good services for the partons,” Williams said. “Mediation is a process that is supposed to assist with cultivating better collaboration, and we hope that the library is approaching bringing in a mediator with the same intent that we have, which is, we would like to reach a fair agreement.”

Shaw Local News Network reporter Eric Schelkopf contributed to this report.