To Close Budget Gap, Queens Library To Lay Off 46
By Norman Oder Jul 23, 2010When New York City officials announced in June that they had "saved" five-day service--actually, cutting a day--by restoring most but hardly all of a proposed $75 million cut to the city's three library systems, that still left a budget gap to be filled partly by eliminating positions.
The New York Public Library (NYPL) and the Brooklyn Public Library (BPL), which have both pushed buyouts and early retirements (and some layoffs), have managed with five and zero union layoffs respectively at this point.
The Queens Library (QL) saw its requested concessions--which would have gone beyond those at the other two NYC libraries--rejected by the union, so 46 staffers, including 38 paraprofessionals, six librarians (and trainees), and two guards, will lose their jobs as of September 3. That will close the remaining $2.4 million budget gap.
A few weeks ago, 14 nonunion staffers from various QL administrative departments had their jobs eliminated, including 25 percent of the senior management staff, QL spokeswoman Joanne King told LJ. Fifteen others took a retirement incentive program.
"Every Queens Library staff member is an important resource for the community. Losing anyone is regrettable," said QL CEO Thomas Galante, who tried to look on the bright side: "The $17.6 million restoration preserved 366 jobs and five-day-a-week service and kept every library in Queens open to provide education, job search information and so many other important services."
Library workers were willing to make concessions, John Hyslop, President of the Queens Library Guild, Local 1321, told LJ, but "when people started thinking about it, it can't be a permanent giveback. The library kept insisting on making it permanent."
Proposals under discussion
The QL administration offered five proposals. Three concerned terminal leave for veteran employees--the conversion of sick leave days on a two-for-one basis into pay when staffers leave. The union's negotiating team wouldn't even bring these to the members, Hyslop said, because terminal leave has always been negotiated by the larger District Council 37 citywide.
Another involved doing away with any capacity to carry over annual leave--a policy already implemented for non-union positions in May 2010. Currently union employees can carry over ten days; in Brooklyn, they have seven days.
The other involved five days of furloughs--but for union members only. The administration's rationale, according to Hyslop, was that nonunion staff already sacrificed, having seen their annual leave carryover eliminated and their terminal leave changed from two-for-one to four-for-one.
The union proposed several other ways to save--including elimination of Sunday service, closing a cafeteria, and offering a state retirement incentive--but they were rejected as, respectively, against state rules, not saving much, or too costly to the city.
While the union suggested that QL re-offer a $10,000 cash retirement incentive to all union members, that wasn't adopted. (It previously drew a few takers, mainly those who were planning to retire, according to Hyslop.)
"After exhaustive discussions, the Queens Library Guild members voted to reject the proposals, 297 to 50," the union said in a news release. "This bittersweet rejection resulted from members' belief that permanently sacrificing their hard-earned benefits for a one time cost savings was too much to give up." More concessions would inevitably be requested in the future, Hyslop said.
The word from Brooklyn
According to Eileen Muller, President of Brooklyn Library Guild, Local 1482, BPL was able to stave off layoffs because just this week the library board agreed to participate in the state early retirement incentive. The number of takers should be revealed next week.
Additionally, she said, close to 100 existing vacancies won't be filled. And BPL went through its own round of nonunion layoffs last year, chronicled by the Washington Post and requiring a library apology.
"I am ecstatic that we will not have anyone laid off," said Muller, citing "good teamwork from all employees."
"Right now there will be no layoffs at BPL," spokeswoman Malika Granville told LJ. "We are still ironing out logistics surrounding hours, but we will be able to offer at least five-day service at all locations."
At NYPL
While NYPL spokeswoman Angela Montefinise said "less than ten" union employees would be laid off, Val Colon, President, New York Public Library Guild, Local 1930, confirmed those let go would be five paraprofessionals.
Montefinise said about 80 people are expected to leave as a result of two buyouts: a voluntary separation program and a retirement program.
NYPL still had to absorb a $10 million budget cut. "The loss of staff due to budget cuts (whether voluntary or not) will impact programming, classes and so on at NYPL, as well as stretch remaining staff, who will have to expand their roles," she noted.<
