10 New City Library Employees Laid Off – Union and Board Reach Tentative Agreement for New Contract

Nine part-time employees of the New City Library - librarians, librarian assistants and pages - and one full-time worker, the maintenance supervisor, were laid off Wednesday.

Karen Vetrano, president of the New York State United Teachers Organization, which represents the laid-off part-timers said, “Some of them will be back as subs.”

Library Director Chuck McMorran said, “All of them accepted the substitute role except for one.”

Vetrano said the laid-off, part-time librarians and librarian assistants would fill in as substitutes when a staff librarian takes vacation or is unable to work.

While the planned lay-offs were looming, the union and library board were negotiating their next contract.

“We reached a tentative agreement prior to expiration of the existing agreement,” said McMorran. “We’ve reached tentative agreement subject to union ratification and approval of the library board.”

McMorran said the agreement was reached about 8:30 Wednesday evening. The current contract expires today.  The library’s new fiscal year starts Friday with a budget that was approved by voters in December.

Within the next two weeks, Vetrano expects the union members to vote on the agreement. In the interim, the union’s labor relations specialist and board’s attorney will go over the agreement to make sure all the necessary changes that were discussed and agreed to by both sides are included.

While pleased a new agreement has been tentatively reached, Vetrano thinks other measures could have been taken instead of carrying out the layoffs.

“Obviously, I’m disappointed,” said Vetrano. “I feel this could have been avoided. I do not feel these layoffs were necessary.”

Originally, 10 part-time employees were scheduled for layoff. However one part-time librarian submitted resignation papers and the termination of one part-time employee was rescinded. Employees had staged an informational picket outside the last week in hopes of reversing the board's decision.