HOURS OF WORK UNDER ATTACK
The Employer has tabled many proposals to change the Hours of Work provisions in our Collective Agreement. TPL Management wants to further limit hours of work. They want the right to schedule our members in library branches to work until midnight, and they want to make Sundays a regular day of service.
Fewer full-time jobs:
When the Open Hours Vision was first proposed, we were told by the previous City Librarian it would lead to more full-time jobs. There is no longer any commitment to additional full-time jobs to help cover these extended hours of service. Instead, we have new RFID technology that will lead to more part-time PSA jobs, and fewer full-time jobs.
Late night hours:
Knowing that the vast majority of our members do not want to work late night hours, the Employer has put forward a proposal to divide our membership by putting the entire onus for late night shifts on part-time workers. For now, Management wants part-timers only to be relegated to the late night shift, with no rights to flexible hours or shift selection.
More part-time jobs:
In explaining their proposal, Management says it will be like adding an extra shift in an auto plant. This fits neatly into the “San Jose Way” of converting permanent full-time jobs into expendable part-time jobs. It also signals a complete rejection of the Union’s key demand for more full-time jobs and better career paths for our members.
Less flexible hours:
Management wants to eliminate TRL flex-time by means of a grand-parenting clause. They want part-timers to work until midnight without access to shift selection. They want members in Marketing and Communications, IT and Facilities to work extended and later hours. They want to rely upon more part-time adult pages to help cover late night hours.
Safety concerns:
Management has compiled statistics that show a big increase in violent and threatening incidents involving our members. Late night service with reduced staffing can only mean a much greater safety risk for our members. This problem cannot be solved by adding a few extra security guards and offering taxi rides at midnight to the nearest bus stop.
The Union was hopeful that the appointment of a new City Librarian would result in a less confrontational approach to collective bargaining from TPL Management. These proposals are just the opposite. They are a serious and very confrontational attack on hours of work, and they offer no benefits for our members.
TPLWU Local 4948 Bargaining Committee
