Frequently Asked Questions

Why are we forming our union at the Frederick County Public Library System?

We are organizing our union at Frederick County Public Library because we believe in having an equitable, fair, and sustainable workplace. “We are kind, we listen and connect, we create.” We as FCPL employees embody these core values every day through our enduring relationships and experiences with our communities. We are creating our union out of care and necessity for ourselves and our fellow workers, so we can ensure our libraries remain an essential community resource.

We will be fighting for:

  • Fair and equitable compensation for all employees- full and part timers;
  • Clarity and consistency in hiring practices, credit for time worked, meaningful careers and paths to advancement, and better retention across the system;
  • Transparent, timely, and inclusive communication;
  • Preserving and safeguarding the flexibility and autonomy of our work, from our programming to our schedules, and beyond;
  • Improved and more equitable benefits;
  • Protection for the future as the need for libraries continues to evolve and Frederick County grows.
Who and what is a union?

We are the union. We made the decision to form our union. We will decide which priorities we will negotiate in our contract and we will elect our own leadership to uphold and enforce the contract. A union is a group of workers coming together to make real change in their workplace regarding their wages, benefits, and working conditions.

Who is AFSCME?

Who is AFSCME? 

AFSCME is a union of 1.4 million members. AFSCME Maryland Council 3 represents 50,000  public services workers in local, city, county, and state government, as well as in higher education and the private sector, who provide the valuable public services that our communities rely on. AFSCME represents workers at other cultural institutions in Maryland including the Anne Arundel County Public Library, the Enoch Pratt Free Library, the Howard County Public Library, Baltimore Museum of Art, and the Walters Art Museum. These members have our back and will support us, and we will also have access to resources like experienced negotiators, educators, attorneys, and researchers. AFSCME nationally also represents over 45,000 other cultural workers, more than any other union. Learn more at culturalworkersunited.org. 

What does the process of organizing a union look like? How long will it take? 

The first thing we need to do is talk to all our coworkers and understand the issues and changes we want to see. Once we have a supermajority of support across the bargaining unit, then we will sign our union cards. We are counting on all of our co-workers to sign a union card.  After a majority of us sign union cards, we will send those cards to a neutral-third party arbitrator who will verify and validate our majority support for our union. After our union is recognized,  union members will help determine our priorities through a bargaining survey, and then we will sit down with management and negotiate a contract that reflects our priorities. The process will go as quickly as we move it. What changes would you like to see at our library system?

Why is now the moment to organize?

There is no better time than this moment to be fighting for protections at work, as well as to protect what we already love about our jobs and work together with leadership to make our workplace even better. In tumultuous political and economic times, it’s important that we have basic protections on the job- just cause for any discipline or terminations and union representation for anyone facing discipline. And by organizing a union, we’ll be better equipped to take on any difficult budget conversations ahead and fight to protect our work. 

What have other library workers won in their union contracts? 

Library workers who have unionized with AFSCME have won many important gains in their contracts over the years. Librarians that have unionized with AFSCME on average are earning 35% more than the sector average. Unionized library workers have also won additional step increases for additional years of service, shift differentials for Sunday or overnight shifts, and ratification bonuses. 

At Anne Arundel County Public Library, AFSCME library members won a 12% increase over the two years of their contract, increased Sunday service pay, improved hiring processes, and ensured that when part-timers apply for full-time positions, their years of service will be given full credit. 

Workers at Howard County Public Library won 7% wage increases each year of their contract, improved Sunday service pay, and established a sick leave bank for the first time. 

Aside from improved wages, unionized library workers have won paid parental leave, increased bereavement leave, increased tuition reimbursements and professional development funding, preferential hiring practices for internal candidates and expanded promotional opportunities, health and safety protections including around extreme temperatures, the establishment of labor-management committees to address ongoing concerns in the workplace, and more. You can check out more at culturalworkersunited.org/union-difference.

How might management respond?

We can’t control how management will respond. We can only control our own actions. We have the legal right to form a union and legal protections from retaliation. The more of us who are openly in solidarity with each other, the safer we all are. Your voice will make a difference. 

The Maryland Public Libraries Law § 23-911 is clear that employers may not:

  • Interfere with, coerce, unduly influence, or restrain an employee’s exercise of rights under this subtitle;Interfere with or assist in the formation, administration, or existence of an employee organization.
  • Except as provided in subsection (A) of this section, dominate, surveil, interfere with, assist in the formation, administration, or existence of, or contribute financial assistance or other support to an employee organization; 
  • Encourage or discourage membership in an employee organization by discriminating against an employee through hiring, tenure, promotion, or other conditions of employment;
  • Refuse to bargain in good faith with an employee organization that is the exclusive representative of the employees; or 
  • Spend public money, use public resources, or provide assistance to an individual or group for a negative campaign against efforts by employees or an employee organization to: 
    • Gain or retain collective bargaining rights or to certify an employee organization as an exclusive representative; or
    • Certify an employee organization as an exclusive representative. 
When do we start paying dues and how much will it cost?

No one will have to pay dues until we vote for a contract that we have negotiated and it becomes effective.

In 2025, for full time employees, dues are 1.75% of your base pay with a monthly cap of $60. That means that for anyone making greater than approximately $41,142,  biweekly dues will be $27.69 for full-time employees.

For part-time employees, dues are 1.75% of your base pay with a monthly cap of $45. That means that for anyone making greater than approximately $30,857, biweekly dues will be $20.77 for part-time employees.

Paying dues for our union is one of the most important actions you can take to support our union. Your union is entirely self-funded and is not bound to any self-interest group or political fund. That means our dues go directly towards organizing, educating and training stewards, grievances and representation, legal resources, contract negotiations, and more!

I want to get involved with organizing our union. Who can I talk to?

Email us at [email protected] to set up a time to talk with a co-worker or union organizer one-on-one.

I don’t think we need a third party coming between us and management and telling us what to do.

We are the union. We would be joining together with other library workers across Maryland who have recently unionized with AFSCME, including workers at the Howard County Library System, Anne Arundel County Public Library, and Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore. Once recognized, our library will also join in the fight for improving working conditions for library workers in Maryland. By joining AFSCME, we join nearly 1,000 library workers and 50,000 other public services members right in our state. who have our back and will support us, along with resources like experienced negotiators, attorneys, and researchers.

I have a good relationship with my supervisor...

That’s great. Many of us do have good relationships with our supervisors, but this isn’t about them. This is about us having a voice. Supervisors change and are limited in what they can do for employees. When we form our union, policies will be clearer and more consistent, which will actually make our supervisor’s job more defined and our relationship even better.

Will we lose our flexibility with the union?

I hear you, and I don’t want to lose the flexibility some of us have, either. It is illegal for our library system to make any changes to the terms and conditions of our working conditions in retaliation for forming our union. In reality, management could take away that flexibility at any time if we don’t have our union. We should secure flexible scheduling in a contract. Why is flexibility important to you?

Management is finally listening and says they are going to fix things. I think we should give them a chance.

It’s great that management is finally hearing us, and if they are sincere about making changes, it shouldn’t be an issue to sit down with us, negotiate improvements and put them into a contract. Our union will help create policies and initiatives created by coworkers and for coworkers. We are the experts of what we need and should help determine the policies that impact us most.