As Library Staff and Management Work Together to Ensure Dignity During Layoffs, Boulder Public Library District’s Board of Trustees Treats Workers’ Livelihoods as an Afterthought

Boulder, CO – AFSCME-affiliated Boulder Public Library staff and district administration have worked together for weeks in good faith to develop a transparent process for upcoming layoffs that would impact twenty percent of workers throughout the district. But the Board of Trustees continues to disrespect the need for strong public services. 

Despite public outcry, the board is pushing to cut $2.5 million from the library budget, including a 20 percent workforce reduction. When presented with options of 10, 15, 18, and 20 percent cuts, the Board opted for the harshest cuts in a matter of minutes. Then at the next Board meeting proposed removing a paid holiday, requiring workers to be on site even more despite having fewer staff to cover it. This shift would not lessen the strain on the library’s budget. This means losing this benefit hurts workers without addressing the budgetary concern. Christine Burke, a member who serves as volunteer program coordinator for the library, reflects, “With one breath, they chose the most severe cut proposed. Between 10 and 20% personnel cuts, they chose 20. Then, with the next breath, they discussed keeping the library open more often - with fewer staff - and cutting staff paid holidays.”  

During public comment, a family shared their love of the library and its staff, saying that “The library allowed for our family to bond and share an [intergenerational] love of reading.” If the plan goes through, wait times will be longer, programming will be reduced, staff on the floor will be fewer, and service across branches will generally slow. 

As the board pushes for significant and devastating cuts to public services, the staff union and Boulder Public Library District management successfully reached an agreement to create an early retirement and layoff process that protects the dignity of the workforce.   This agreement sets up a process for a defined and transparent layoff procedure and would: 

• Allow workers to choose early retirement, allowing some workers to receive a significant buyout package  
• Allow laid-off employees to receive a severance package, equivalent to three months’ pay and full payout of accrued sick time and PTO. 
• Allow employees to voluntarily reduce their hours to support other workers from having hours cut. 

But the board is ignoring the work management and staff have done to create a respectful process with dignity in mind by continuing to disregard and disrespect the work library workers provide to the Boulder Community. Abby Aguilera, a library specialist for the district, shared the impact of these conversations. "The Board's attitude towards the work of the BPLD staff has my usually chipper team both somber and worried. We have Board members who frequent my branch's doors, and there's staff sentiment of both anger and sadness right now when we hear the callous way in which we're discussed. We are frontline staff, and we refuse to be treated as disposable." 

Terzah Becker, a Collection Development Librarian, shared that she “has [her] dream job. I buy books to support what my community wants to read.” 

Al Varela, a library specialist, knows that working in the library is as good for the librarians as it is for the community. “Working in libraries is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made for myself. I truly feel at home and in good company with my coworkers who put so much love and care into [our] work.” 

Several workers shared how they feared what this process might look like without the union. Christine Burke, shared, “I’m part of the union because better decisions get made when trustees and management are required to listen to the needs and concerns of the staff who run the library day in and day out.” 

As library staff and management work toward systems that respect the work librarians do to steward literacy and community belonging, workers hope the community can show its support for the people who power our public libraries. They encourage community members to share with the Board of Trustees why library services matter and why they shouldn’t cut services by cutting staff.