Boston Public Library staff, patrons feel the heat with AC out

The Boston Public Library 's Copley branch has gone weeks without air conditioning due to repairs that were supposed to wrap up last week.

Why it matters: The central library serves thousands of Bostonians and tourists each year and has hundreds of workers.

• The heat is nauseating some workers and increasing the risk of health-related flare ups, union representatives say.
• It's affecting patrons too, including unhoused people trying to escape the heat.

Catch up quick: BPL officials announced in late April that they would turn off the HVAC system during repairs to the loading dock and that they would monitor the building's temperatures.

• The HVAC system is located right below the loading dock, spokesperson Lisa Pollack wrote in an email to Axios.
• "Not doing this work could have endangered the health and safety of some of our workers," Pollack wrote.

Yes, but: Workers and library patrons endured high heat and humidity in late May, forcing the library to close two days, and early June, says Elissa Cadillic, president of AFSCME Local 1526, told Axios.

• Many workers claimed they did not get notice of the closures until after they got to Copley and received contradictory information about whether they could work remotely, UniversalHub reported.
• Employees learned late last week the repairs would continue this week.
• "This is a community concern and because it does affect everybody who walks through our doors … it's public safety," Cadillic says.

State of play: In the past week, fans have popped up throughout the library, but temperatures remain above 80 at times.

• On Monday, one employee's thermostat read 82 while outside temperatures were at 74.

What they're saying: Pollack, the spokesperson, said the library is balancing keeping the doors open with the obligation to staff to close when temperatures reach a certain threshold, which one workers' union said was 86 degrees.

• "As a public library, we also have to take seriously our responsibility to continue to provide services to our patrons," Pollack wrote in the email.

What's next: The repairs could finish as early as Tuesday.

• If they drag on, staff and patrons may face more extreme heat as outside temperatures reach 86 later this week.

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