By now you will have probably heard President Mark Ferguson's phone message to TCEU Local 416 members talking about Brian Cochrane's resignation from the position of Chief Negotiator and Spokesperson for Local 416, Library Worker Maureen O’Reilly’s resignation as Recording Secretary of Local 416, and rumours of the Library leaving Local 416.
This message raised the issue of the status of the Library Division within Local 416, but gave no further details, leaving rank and file members, especially those in the Library Division, with many questions that need to be answered. With regard to President Ferguson’s message, it is true that there is a great deal of unrest within Local 416 leadership at the present time.
On Nov 25/08 the Library Division Executive voted 13-0, with one abstention, to recommend that Local 416 Library Workers exercise our democratic option under the CUPE National Constitution to form a separate Toronto Public Library Workers Union. This would require a notice of motion to our members, and a majority vote of library workers in a vote supervised by CUPE National.
Many members are asking us why we are proposing this now, after many years under the Local 416 umbrella in a large composite local with both Outside Workers and Library Workers. Since amalgamation we have been very successful at the bargaining table within Local 416, in spite of growing organizational and political problems inside the Union.
Unfortunately, these organizational and political problems, including constant disruptions, threats and trial procedures fomented by a number of members and officers seeking to de-stabilize the Local, have made it harder and harder for Library Workers to fully participate in the Union. Instead of working on library workers’ issues and problems, the Library leadership within Local 416 has been drawn away from our primary job of defending our members and forced to attend to these growing problems within the overall structure of Local 416.
The recommendation by the Library Division Executive to create a new Toronto Public Library Workers Union has been made after a long and very serious deliberation. A deteriorating situation within the Local 416 Executive Board has seriously undermined the trust and working relationship between the Library Division and the current Local 416 Executive Committee and several Unit Chairs from the Outside Division.
Dissident Local 416 officers and members solicited an anti-union article in the Toronto Sun (Oct13/08) that did considerable damage to Local 416 at a time when we were involved in sensitive negotiations with CUPE National. When Library Division representatives on the Local 416 Executive Board criticized this action, we were loudly attacked by two Outside Division Chairs.
At the next Board meeting, the Library was accused of having too much influence in the leadership of Local 416, and there was a call to reduce the Library Division’s proportional representation on the Local 416 Board. The guarantee of fair representation within Local 416 was a major reason Library Workers chose to join Local 416 at the time of amalgamation.
These are some of the reasons the Library Division Executive is recommending that we can defend our members better within a separate Library Workers local. Without a stable organizational structure and a united leadership that supports and protects Library Workers and our participation in the Union, we can no longer recommend that Library Workers remain in Local 416.
We are in the midst of a period of unprecedented change in the Library. We all know that our members have been put under extreme duress ever since the onset of amalgamation. Given the problems within Local 416, it is an ideal time for us to use this as an opportunity to strengthen our ability to examine and respond to the many difficult issues and challenges facing us as Library Workers.
The recommendation to form a separate Library Workers local is entirely within the accepted procedures as outlined in the CUPE National Constitution, provided the recommendation receives a majority vote of Library Workers at a meeting where sufficient notice has been previously given to Library Division members.
We will be seeking the advice and guidance of the National Union to ensure this recommendation is presented in full compliance with the requirements of the CUPE National Constitution.
This is our opportunity to respond directly to the needs of all Library Division members, without abandoning the many lessons we have learned about the benefits of solidarity between Library Workers and all City of Toronto Municipal Workers.
Our association since amalgamation with the Outside Workers has been a very positive one in spite of the many bumps along the way. We still value and want to preserve this relationship, and we will continue to do everything we can to maintain and strengthen positive relations with Outside and Inside City of Toronto Workers in the years ahead.
Rob Rolfe
Library Division Chair
TCEU Local 416
Dec 15/08
