Cleveland Public Library Workers Agree on Contract, Averting Strike

No strike is happening at the Cleveland Public Library. At least anytime soon.

After 11th hour negotiations earlier this week, an agreement was reached between the unionzied workers of CPL and the library system, which was ratified on Wednesday by the union. Four-hundred CPL employees and CPL leadership met over a dozen times in the past year to hammer out a deal that, as of last week, seemed impossible, with a tentative strike date of this past Monday approved by workers.

The new contract means a 15 percent average wage increase; four weeks of paid parental leave; increased vacation time and life insurance coverage; and bettered “overtime, on-call work, reclassification, special closings, health and safety and other workplace protections,” a union statement read.

“Our bargaining team worked tirelessly, and our members stood together through every challenge, showing what is possible when library workers have a collective voice and are willing to fight for one another,” Becky Williams, the president of the Service Employees International Union District 1199, said in a statement.

“I could not be prouder of the team that stood up, held the line, and won meaningful improvements for library workers and their families,” she added.

Previous interviews with CPL employees suggested the library was holding out on wage increases and health insurance matters.

Library admins seemed happy to let tensions subside.

“Cleveland Public Library values our employees and the work they do every day to serve Clevelanders,” a CPL spokesperson told Scene in an email statement.

“This agreement represents a fair investment in our staff,” they added, “while recognizing the financial realities facing the Library and the importance of ensuring we can continue to serve our community for generations to come.”