AFSCME activists rallied Wednesday on Boston Common, in solidarity with Council 93, to prevent the loss of critical public services and to pass the jobs bill now stalled in Congress. 

Today’s Boston Globe features a front page article on Massachusetts’ budget challenges and AFSCME members’ powerful demonstration.

Hundreds of members of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, dressed in matching green T-shirts, rallied on Boston Common yesterday as Patrick was signing the budget. They chanted: “Show some guts! No more cuts!’’

“Some of the most vulnerable citizens in Massachusetts will be in danger if these budget cuts go through,’’ said Gerald W. McEntee, the union’s national president, who is in Boston for the union’s national convention. “But we won’t let the politicians balance the budget on our backs, not anymore.’’

Anthony Caso, Executive Director of Council 93 and an International Vice-President, said the union’s members “are fed up with politicians like Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) who abandoned workers last week” by opposing the jobs bill. “Today, AFSCME makes its mark on Boston Common, and we are ready to fight and ready to lead!”

Locally, Council 93 members are fighting to prevent the planned closure of four of the state’s six long-term residential hospitals for the developmentally disabled, to keep all branches of the city’s public libraries open and prevent layoffs of library employees. The council also wants fair, equitable contracts for thousands of higher education workers represented by the union.

Four members of Council 93 also addressed the rally: Elissa Cadillic, president of Boston Public library Local 1526; Michael Thomas, president of an organization of Council 93’s human services locals; Kevin Hanley, Massachusetts State and Community Colleges Local 1067; and Francis Martin, president of University of Massachusetts – Amherst Local 1776.

After the rally, hundreds of AFSCME activists marched to City Hall to support the library workers. The Boston Globe also reported that as the city council was deciding the municipal budget for the new fiscal year, “The sea of protesters made such a ruckus that their chants — “Stop the cuts!’’ — echoed in the fifth-floor council chamber.”

National Library Week (April 11-17) is a time to celebrate our public libraries and the people who keep them running. On April 13, communities across the country will also celebrate National Library Workers Day, in recognition of the important work of these employees.

This year’s theme: “Libraries Work Because We Do!”

But 2010’s celebration is also about contemplation as local officials reduce library hours and even shut their doors to balance budgets.

Look at Los Angeles. Encouraged by city officials who are trying to close a $485 million budget shortfall, at least 107 library workers have signed up for early retirement. The move is wreaking havoc. “We can barely get by,” says Roy Stone, president of AFSCME’s Librarians’ Guild Local 2626 (Council 36).

AFSCME, which represents more than 25,000 library workers nationwide, is working to save public services, including libraries. We’re also fighting for pay equity for librarians, most of whom are women.

“At a time when we should be putting people back to work, short-sighted lawmakers are taking away the very tools that will restore the health of our economy,” says AFSCME International President Gerald W. McEntee. “The books and Internet resources found there provide a foundation to build a better future for millions. Our library workers are indispensible.”

To learn more, check out the American Library Association-Allied Professional Association (ALA-APA), a nonprofit professional organization established “to promote the mutual professional interests of librarians and other library workers.”

A picture of the banner hanging from AFSCME International Union’s headquarters building in Washington, D.C.

April 14th is National Library Workers Day. It is a day set aside during National Library Week to recognize the valuable contributions library workers make to their communities. AFSCME, the largest union representing library workers, has more than 20,000 members in libraries across the country. This year, perhaps more than ever before, these workers deserve recognition and thanks.

As recently reported by the New York Times, CBS Evening News, NBC Nightly News and a host of other media, libraries are busier than ever due to the economic downturn AFSCME library members are under extra pressure as they confront this dramatic increase in patrons at the same time that they face often severe budget cuts and shortened hours. National Library Workers Day provides an opportunity to honor these employees who are on the frontlines helping workers and families during these difficult times.

AFSCME is a leader in promoting better salaries and working conditions. It was an AFSCME local in San Jose, Calif., that led the first strike for pay equity in 1981. In 1998, AFSCME library workers in Boston won a long struggle for job upgrades. District Council 37 library workers in New York City, Queens and Brooklyn received pay upgrades after long campaigns over the past 8 years. Most recently, AFSCME library workers led the fight against closures at the Free Library of Philadelphia.

The American Library Association encourages you to recognize your stellar library members by submitting their names to their Galaxy of Stars and by joining their NLWD Facebook fan page.

During National Library Week (April 13-19), AFSCME recognizes the hard-working and indispensable librarians and library employees who guide our nation’s readers to the wealth of knowledge found in books, the Internet and other resources within their institutions. AFSCME, which represents more than 20,000 library workers nationwide, is using this occasion to call for increased library funding. Notes AFSCME President Gerald W. McEntee:

“As the nation feels the pain of the weakening economy, people are turning to their libraries for resources to find employment and public services, to advance their education, and to learn. AFSCME salutes the library workers who make more than 123,000 libraries across the country happen.”

To learn more, check out the American Library Association-Allied Professional Association (ALA-APA), a nonprofit professional organization established to promote the mutual professional interests of librarians and other library workers.