Vision for Our Union

Dear colleagues,

We, the workers of Frederick County Public Libraries, are excited to announce our intent to organize with AFSCME Council 3. A strong majority of eligible FCPL staff across branches and departments have demonstrated support for forming our union. We love the work that we do, and we want to protect, support, and empower our coworkers so that we can continue to benefit the communities that we serve.

We are organizing our union 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.

The process of building a union has shown us the importance of forming community with our fellow workers and that our voices are louder when we come together. The key services and resources FCPL provides to the community are the direct result of the work we do every day. We seek to acknowledge this work and strengthen our collective voice by forming a union as FCPL workers to advocate for a say in the decisions that affect our work.

Our libraries serve as critical infrastructure for our community. Just as the needs of the community evolve, so do those of its workers. Across the country, workers are leading a historic movement towards autonomy, agency, and dignity in our workplaces.

Through our union, we will prioritize the rights and well-being of both part-time and full-time library staff from all FCPL branches.

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.

Hope for a more sustainable, unified FCPL is what connects us as coworkers. We invite all FCPL staff to join our union and stand with us as we work to protect what we love about our system and improve it for the years to come. Please join us!

In solidarity,