Boulder Public Library District Workers Win Expanded Collective Bargaining Rights

Boulder - Workers at the Boulder Public Library District have worked diligently with AFSCME Colorado to build worker power. Over the past several months, the workers have banded together to navigate a variety of issues to ensure their seat at the table.  

The Boulder Public Library District was previously a part of the City of Boulder. After years of discussing chronic underfunding, the City Council, Library Commission, and the staff of the library identified that the best way forward was to create an independent library district funded by a property tax mill levy.  

Once voters approved the funding model, the Boulder Public Library District was born, creating a governance structure that provided greater stability, protection against budget cuts, and oversight by the Board of Trustees.  

When BPLD transitioned from city government to an independent district, library workers lost their existing union representation. And while the Colorado Collective Bargaining by County Employees Act passed in 2022 and took effect in July of 2023, the law did not cover special districts. This left workers in the newly developed Boulder Public Library District without statutory collective bargaining protections.  

This is when the workers began discussing unionization, which ultimately led them to work with AFSCME to develop a strategic plan to secure a seat at the table. When AFSCME began working with the Boulder Public Library District, there was no law or policy that guaranteed collective bargaining rights for the workers.  

Workers organized internally and alongside their communities to demand that the Board of Trustees develop a policy framework for collective bargaining. On April 21, 2026, six months after the workers first went public with their effort, this policy was adopted. Next, a neutral third party verified our union authorization cards and certified that over 80 percent of employees supported unionization—a strong mandate to the Board.  

On May 19, 2026, the Board of Trustees met to vote on voluntary recognition of the union, which passed unanimously. The staff of the Boulder Public Library District now join workers at Jefferson County Public Library and Denver Art Museum, as well as more than 50,000 other cultural workers across the country who are building a national movement to raise employment standards in the cultural sector through AFSCME’s Cultural Workers United program. 

One worker, who moved to Colorado in August to help open the Gunbarrel branch of the library district, recalled, “I attended my first union organizing meeting on my third day at BPLD, and seeing this come to fruition is incredible. The collaboration between BPLD staff and the Board has been admirable to watch, and I'm so inspired by the folks I get to work with. We can't wait to get into negotiations and claim our seat at the table.” 

Now, Boulder Public Library District workers will begin their bargaining process, joining workers across the state who are turning to AFSCME Colorado to win fair wages, better benefits and safe working conditions. Visit the union website to get involved and learn more.