A majority of Delaware County District Library employees turned in signed union cards earlier this week, announcing their intention to unionize, while calling on the library’s director and Board of Trustees to recognize their union.

The employees are aiming to be the sixth Ohio library system to join the Ohio Federation of Teachers (OFT) since 2021, according to a release issued by the organization Tuesday. The union said signed union cards from 71.6% of eligible library employees were delivered to management while the originals were filed with the State Employee Relations Board (SERB) to request voluntary recognition of the union.

Megan Shoemaker, an adult services librarian at the Liberty Branch and member of the organizing committee, said the attempt to unionize has been in the works for “a long time.”

“We, as staff members, would like to have a voice in decisions that are made at the library,” Shoemaker said.

Collin Clemons, an outreach associate for the library system, said Thursday that the movement was started, in part, to address staffing issues within the library system.

“The library has staffing issues. We think it’s important to retain staff, and we think this is going to be achieved through higher wages and better benefits that we just don’t see at the moment,” Clemons said. “All of us love our job at the library, that’s why we’re fighting to make it a better place to work and a more equitable place to work. (A union) benefits us and the community we serve as well.”

Kaleb Kramer, an adult services specialist at the library’s Liberty Branch, added that the move has been in the works for more than a year and said “people are at their best when they have more sense of involvement in what they’re doing and what effects them.”

“As people have more agency, they are able to be more productive and be better library staff, and that’s better for our community,” Kramer said Thursday.

The library’s Board of Trustees has 21 days from Tuesday to decide whether to recognize the union voluntarily or force an election through SERB.

On Friday, Library Director Bryan Howard said that since Tuesday, he has spoken with the DCDL Board of Trustees and has decided to move the board’s regular meeting from Aug. 20 to Aug. 23 at 5 p.m. at the Delaware Main Library to give “more flexibility for all interested parties to attend.”

“I cannot say at this time if the Board will choose to voluntarily recognize the union,” Howard said. “However, I do know that the administrative team at DCDL will remain neutral in the process. We will respect the bargaining process, negotiations and the results.

“The Delaware County District Library is well-respected among our peers both locally and nationally,” Howard continued. “We look forward to continuing the meaningful conversations with staff that began last October as we went through our staff-led strategic planning process. As a result, we outlined in one of our priorities that ‘DCDL is a great place to work.’”

Howard said that throughout the process, DCDL will “remain a community cornerstone for discovery where individuals can learn, grow and connect.”

“We open doors to imagination, knowledge, connection and discovery,” Howard concluded Friday.

The OFT reported that library workers in Grandview Heights and Athens County had their unions voluntarily recognized by their boards while workers in Worthington, Pickerington, and Upper Arlington had “landslide wins” in union elections.

“We’re seeing a union movement of library workers in Ohio who understand that they need a strong, organized voice that allows them to advocate for themselves, their patrons, and their profession,” said Melissa Cropper, president of the Ohio Federation of Teachers. “Our members across Ohio – in public libraries, K-12 schools, community and technical colleges, and social service agencies – are thrilled to support DCDL workers, and we urge the library to respect the majority decision and recognize the union.”

Glenn Battishill can be reached at 740-413-0903.