Incumbent Didn’t Run: Elect Thomas Head Of Library Local

Incumbent Didn't Run
Elect Thomas Head Of Library Local

By RICHARD STEIER

Carol Thomas, the longtime treasurer of New York Public Library Local 1930 of District Council 37, was elected president of the local Dec. 4, defeating Val Colon by a count of 392-216.

LYNN TAYLOR: Caught in the backlash. She will succeed Lynn Taylor, who chose not to seek a second term in the wake of a backlash among clerical employees of the Manhattan library system over contract terms she agreed to last year.

Shut Out of Hikes

Those provisions granted significant additional wage hikes to less-senior Librarians and Research Specialists but offered nothing to clerical staff within the system. This was a particular sore point among the clericals because the Brooklyn Public Library had previously approved a pay upgrade for those in the title of Information Assistant and offered additional promotional opportunities to all clerical titles at the same time that it upgraded pay for Librarians.

The lingering hard feelings undoubtedly were in Ms. Thomas's mind when she was asked during a Dec. 8 phone interview what her primary goals would be for the 1,700-member local.

"Pay fairness for all the titles," she responded, then added that improvements in working conditions and in management's treatment of staff would also be priorities.

In the spring of 2001, the New York Public Library - which includes The Bronx and Staten Island as well as Manhattan - in an attempt to retain senior Librarians, gave them an 8-percent wage increase in addition to the 9-percent pay hikes negotiated by DC 37 for all its members under a 27-month contract. To be eligible, however, Librarians had to be working in their jobs as of March 29, 2001.

Library Held Back

Subsequently, the Brooklyn and Queens Public Libraries upgraded salaries for their employees beyond what was negotiated with DC 37, prompting then-Local 1930 President Ray Markey to press NYPL officials for further upgrades for all titles, including clericals. He retired in early 2005 and Ms. Taylor succeeded him. Soon after that, the NYPL presented an offer that granted the 8-percent increase to Librarians and Research Specialists hired after March 29, 2001, but contained no extra money for the clericals.

Ms. Taylor nonetheless submitted it to the Librarians and Research Specialists in her bargaining unit, and they accepted it. The backlash that resulted could be seen not only in Ms. Taylor's decision not to seek a new term (she will reportedly return to her job at a library in lower Manhattan) but in the fact that both candidates for president came out of the clerical wing of the local, holding the title of Office Associate 3.

Ms. Thomas pointed out that entry-level clerical workers in the title of Office Aide I have a starting salary of about $22,000, which she said was $2,500 below what is paid to those in the same title at the Health and Hospitals Corporation.

Others Elected

The two next-highest posts in the local were won by members of her slate, with Nina Manning winning the battle to succeed Ms. Thomas as treasurer by a 354-236 tally over Irene Pietraszewski, and Jean Peterson defeating Alexandra Cabreja-Fabia in the race for secretary, 375-193.

Two members of Ms. Thomas's Real Deal slate were elected without opposition: Jocelyn Castillo as vice president for Librarians and Anthony Wyche as vice president for Library Technical Assistants. A contested race for vice president for Clerks saw Louise Stamp from the Thomas slate outpoll Petra Rodriguez from the Colon slate by 364-205.

The Colon slate will have two members serving on Local 1930's board: Laura O'Keefe, who was elected without opposition as research library representative, and Lillian Cohen, who outpolled Charles Scala from the Thomas slate 290-260 in the race for library technical assistant representative.

The others who were elected were: Ramiro Santiago as Bronx representative, Velda Asbury as Manhattan representative, and Asa Rubenstein as librarian representative, research. Elected without opposition were Clerical Representative Gustavo Armaza; Librarian Representative, Branches Deborah D. Allman; Information Assistant Representative Henry Sambach, and Staten Island Representative Peter F. Levine.