Averting Strike, Cuyahoga County Public Library Agrees to New Contract With Union

At the beginning of June, unionized librarians and clerks picketed in front of the Parma Snow branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library, calling for better pay and "respect and dignity for all employees."

This week, those employees, represented by a local chapter of the Service Employees International Union, got what they were angling for in a new three-year contract —namely, a staggered wage increase in the next three years. Five percent in 2024; 4 percent in 2025; and 3 percent in 2026. Union members had recently voted to strike at the end of the month if a new contract wasn't reached.

The deal, arrived at after months of negotiations, was seen by both sides as a win for the public.

"We are extremely pleased that there will be no strike," CCPL's CEO Tracy Strobel wrote in a statement, "and that we will continue to offer uninterrupted services to our customers."

She added: “CCPL is proud to offer competitive wages, annual pay increases, and robust benefits to full-time and part-time library employees.”
[content-1] The win, which will impact roughly 900 county residents—clerks, assistants, librarians and other staff—is seen by the bargaining unit as a required leg up for employees often overlooked in the realm of essential workers. Especially for those on starting pay: a CCPL employee bringing in $13 an hour in 2024 will make roughly $14.60 if they remain there in the next two years.

Yet, in the mind of Michael Wood, SEIU 1199's lead organizer in Cuyahoga County, the win is a small one in the ever-present struggle for $15 an hour living wage. Though Wood wouldn't share exact details of the bargaining, he agreed that the staggered pay increase was better than entering a strike era: "They compromised; we compromised."

A system as robust and sweeping as CCPL's 28 branches serves thousands of Northeast Ohioans a day, those that rely on the library for not only reading materials but for classes and passport photos, along with access to the internet and a plethora of research databases.

It's exactly why Wood himself, along with the workers he represents, were a bit anxious about the prospect of a strike. Or entering bargaining talks altogether. Especially when, in early June, an impasse in negotiations led to CCPL seeking a federal mediator to help out.

"These are public servants—the purest form you can be a public servant, I believe," Wood told Scene. "That's one of the reasons that the notion of a strike was difficult, because they want to continue to serve the public."

SEIU had noted Strobel's pay -- $245,000 -- compared to that of the average CCPL employee, which is roughly $16 an hour.

And of course juxtaposing both figures with the library's strong reputation nationwide: it's made a Library Journal top ranking 12 times in a row.

Which is where Wood's and Strobel's mentality seems to meet.

"It's not just buildings and books; It's the people that work there," Wood said. "And for any reason that this library is highly rated—and it is, and it should be. It's because the people who actually work there."

The library's board of trustees will vote to approve the contract later this month.

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