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SALT LAKE CITY — While admitting her nerves, Michelle Cao stood stoically as she read from a paper clasped in her hands.
Cao, who has worked at the Salt Lake City Public Library's main branch the past two years, outlined the passion she and her colleagues have in their field. She also expressed her concerns about the conditions librarians face on a regular basis, including threats and harassment from people who come into the building, as she spoke to members of the Salt Lake City Public Library System Board of Directors on Monday.
"Through all of it, each of us stay. We do what we can because we care," she said, as a few dozen other librarians watched, many sporting green shirts with the American Federation of State, City and Municipal Employees logo printed on them. "We chose this path because we care, and we believe it to only be fair."
Cao and her colleagues attended the meeting to push board members to voluntarily accept the city librarians' efforts to unionize, an endeavor that officially began in April. Several even braved triple-digit temperatures to rally outside of the City Library prior to the meeting.
But three months have passed and the staff of about 245 people has yet to officially unionize.
Brad Asay, executive director for the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees Local 1004 and vice president of the Utah chapter of the AFL-CIO, said the board has yet to meet with members of the Salt Lake City Public Library Workers United, despite efforts by the group to schedule a meeting.
The board would have to pass a resolution to recognize the union, which would send the proposal to the Salt Lake City Council for final approval. If approved, they would be the first library workers to unionize in Utah.
Asay called on the board to recognize the union again on Monday, which didn't happen. The meeting ended with a closed session to allow the board to further discuss collective bargaining.
Adam Weinacker, president of the library's board of directors, said the board is "actively listening" to library staff before the board makes a decision. He confirmed during Monday's meeting that the board has held discussions about the proposal during previous closed sessions.
"We know there are still areas we need more clarity on," he added, noting that the board wants to take "the utmost care" to "fully understand" the union proposal and any impacts it may have on the city and its library system.
The librarians' goal to unionize would mirror most Salt Lake City employees. About two-thirds of the city's 3,200 full-time employees are represented by three unions, including the American Federation of State, City and Municipal Employees, per city officials. The library system is the city's only department where employees are not under a collective bargaining agreement.
In a letter to colleagues on April 24, Salt Lake City Public Library Workers United leaders wrote that "the status quo does not benefit everyone," resulting in "burnout and low morale." They added that their concerns are often "minimized or ignored while leadership enacts policies unilaterally" and that "many of us struggle with housing instability, food insecurity and lack of access to health care."
"We, the essential workers who perform the library's most critical tasks; who know our patrons best; who are often put in vulnerable and unpredictable situations as public facing staff; and who keenly feel and observe the effects of every policy and procedure, demand to have a governing role in the daily operation of our beloved history," the letter reads, in part.
Asay also conducted a presentation to the board about the proposal in May. He argued that unionization would improve morale and boost staff retention rates, while also providing management and workers "a way to communicate concerns professionally and resolve issues."
Jerry Philpott, local president of the American Federation of State, City and Municipal Employees, told KSL.com Monday that union organizations aren't sure what has been discussed behind closed doors the past two meetings, but he's hopeful that the board will make a decision soon. Even without the type of meeting Asay had requested, Philpott said the plan appears to be "picking up momentum."
Weinacker said he sympathizes with those who are seeking a decision right away; however, he wants to make sure the board gets it right.
"Things take a little bit of time, and it can be frustrating," he said. "This is potentially one of the most important moves in the 125-year history of the library."
