NU LIBRARY WORKERS UNION

Dear Colleagues,

We, the workers of Northwestern University Libraries, are coming together to have a say in our workplace by forming a union with SEIU Local 73. The important services and resources the Library provides to the campus community are the result of the work we do everyday. We aim to acknowledge this work and strengthen our collective voice by forming a union of Northwestern University Library workers because we are stronger together.

The Library is often called the heart of the campus. We engage the public, provide access to collections, develop and support technologies, preserve cultural heritage and historical documents, collaborate on digital projects, publish open educational resources, support the safety and well-being of patrons, and advance social justice work. Our partnerships make the research, teaching, and community on campus possible.

We want a library that works for all of us, in which all workers have a seat at the table, are accountable to one another, and are empowered to improve our workplace to better support our community. Our decision comes from a place of care, passion, and concern for the Library: We are overworked due to years of austerity even before the onset of the pandemic, have not seen a true cost of living raise in years, lack mobility despite advanced credentials, face performance evaluations that often do not result in equitable acknowledgement and compensation, have worked on site during the pandemic without hazard pay, have heeded calls to create change without seeing that change followed through on, and have seen decisions made without transparency or accountability. We are expected to expand services and provide greater expertise to campus while the number of staff has decreased significantly. This past year, the Library faced disproportionate furloughs and layoffs compared to other groups on campus. All of this has created an atmosphere of exhaustion and distrust that makes it difficult to be the kinds of partners we want to be and that Northwestern students, faculty, staff, and community deserve.

Forming a union will cultivate a more equitable environment for all current and future members of the Northwestern Library community, regardless of their race, ethnicity, age, sexuality, gender, disability, economic status, or other identities. We take inspiration from our library colleagues at other universities who have formed or are included in campus unions, including the University of Washington, CUNY, the University of Michigan, the University of Illinois Chicago, the University of Chicago, and many more. Through organizing and collective bargaining we will have a seat at the table to help create an inclusive, transparent, and thriving workplace which values staff well-being and in which we can sustain and enhance the teaching and research mission of the university.

We, the undersigned workers of Northwestern University Library, call on our colleagues, the faculty, students, staff, and our neighbors in Evanston and Chicago to support the formation of our union.