APLE General Membership Meeting - September 18, 2020 via Zoom
Chairs: Teresa Alvarado and Brooke Cox
Start time: 7:05p
Roll call: No Sally Sherman-Weckerlin or Michelle Gasser.
Old Business First -- Elections!
Elections were held two months ago for the 2020-2022 term, please welcome to their first official membership meeting -- John Cook, Eisha Hearn, Teresa Alvarado, and Christina Gaydos. Thank you to last term officers for their service!!
Hours and Schedules
Staff will be returning to full time hours on Sunday, September 20, 2020, and everyone should have their schedules. If there are any concerns, reach out to the appropriate people, starting with your managers. Reminder -- Librarians should not be in the building during times when the library is not open. Circ is a totally different thing, and may have been told to come in early to help with curbside work, etc.
We are aware that there are frustrations about the new hours. Management has the right to choose the hours at their discretion, even if they are not the best for our personal lives. Going forward, we must go through this time with compassion and kindness. Next year is a Levy year, and as the library operates on public funds, we do not want anything to reflect negatively on us. Hopefully, these hours will not be permanent, but please keep tabs on how hours are being used. It’s been a weird year, but we will get through it!
Lunch times -- LOA Article 19.1
In regards to taking half hour lunches, APLE met with HR, Cathy Bartel and Andrea Frances, and there is currently no agreement. There are a number of concerns on both sides, including ease of implement it in larger branches vs smaller branches, not wanting staff to close by themselves, switching back and forth from a half hour to an hour lunch, and the fact that there is no guarantee that a staff member could take one due to the current schedule. Talks are to continue.
Contract Negotiations
APLE has submit a proposal for extension to the current contract to HR and are waiting to hear back from them. The negotiation team may be meeting soon.
New Business -- Dress Code
Kathy Selking and two APLE members were part of the team working on an updated dress code and they will be submitting their proposal to the Board as early as next week. The dress code will not be as relaxed as casual day, but not as strict as before. Waiting to see if the Board will approve it, then APLE will look at it again. Staff can still wear jeans until the final dress code is implemented.
FFCRA -- School and Childcare Need
APLE is aware of some concerns from staff about how this will work for child care. If you have children 12 and under in either virtual school or not in school for any reason, youdo have options under the Cares Act. FFCRA for childcare does provide for 12 weeks of time off (counts as your 12 weeks of FMLA). The first 2 weeks are unpaid, then 10 weeks of paid FMLA at ⅔ rate of pay. Staff can also use their Annual Leave and Personal Leave during the first 2 weeks time. FFCRA appears to work in terms of hours not days, so this would be something to discuss with HR. To get more information, contact HR. Jeff Godzak, who handled our SWO, may have a better understanding than Kris about this.
Open Floor
Sick leave clarification: If you are sick, exposed/quarantining, or caring for a family member, you can use Sick Leave; 2 weeks regular pay, and FMLA if need more.
Open positions: Ultimately, no backfilling of any of the 32 spaces open, and will fill as needed. 2020 year is ending in a deficit, and probably again in 2021 -- meaning we can’t hire a whole lot of people. It will be on an as needed basis.
Teleworking: Don’t know how many people are working from home, depends on what staff is working on. Working from home is part of the strategy for cutting down on people being in the building and to help keep people safe. APLE mostly works with the public, and will need to work in the building.
$300 Backpay: APLE and HR are not really sure what is going on with the $300 back pay, although they are aware that some people are getting emails about it. If you were getting unemployment or SWO, you are eligible for the $300 a week wage assistance, but don’t know when it will be kicking in.
2016 Public survey: stepping stone for more normal hours? Did Admin share 2016 survey results with staff? Door counting? Hours to cover shifts? Overall, answers are unclear.
Study rooms as lunch rooms: Discuss with managers. Offer up any other ideas for lunch rooms you may have!
Book Clubs: Tim Hagan recently sent email out about converting book clubs to be group run instead of librarian run. Concerned people will stop coming if library does not host them. Will look into email, and get more information.
Services concerns: APLE aware that staff hearing information second, third, fourth, etc hand. No positions are being eliminated. Admin is looking at librarians as whole, to see how we can push “core” services out to get people into our buildings and help the communities were there is need. Chairs aware of disconnect between public staff and Admin, they will be having more discussions with Cathy and Andrea, and they have a meeting with Jason next month.
LCT: Looking to bring back the LCT meetings, which was supposed to happen around March or April. Looking to have meetings with the right players and the right people, where before there were too many people at the table.
Any questions or concerns, please reach out to your APLE officers.
**Brooke and Teresa looking into have “office hours” for APLE staff, to be determined.
Meeting Adjourned.
End time: 7:56p