3% Raise at Cleveland PL

Service Employees International Union District 1199, which represents about 400 staffers from librarians to custodians at the Cleveland Public Library (CPL), was awarded a three percent raise for three years by an arbitration panel consisting of union, library, and State Employment Relations Board reps. The decision was settled on August 24 and took effect the following day; the Plain Dealer noted that the first part of the raise was retroactive to February, when the contract expired.

Larry Novotny, CPL's assistant head of human resources, told the newspaper that "the agreement is good for everybody: the employees, the library, and, I think most importantly, the patrons and our taxpayers." Union steward Ryan Moore agreed: "We see this decision as an opportunity to improve management-labor relations." Along with the raise, the panel allowed the library to outsource selective technical services, a top issue. The arbitration commenced after a one-day walkout in April and threats of an extended walkout in May (see Late Bulletins, LJ 5/15/04, p. 13).