Memphis Public Libraries Workers Announce Union—Memphis Public Libraries Workers United—with Communications Workers of America

Staff across all departments call for fairness, stability, and civil service protections

MEMPHIS, TENN. - A supermajority of City of Memphis library workers have come together to call for a union election with the Communications Workers of America (CWA), marking an historic moment for one of the city's most vital public institutions.

"The library is everybody's neighbor, and I want to be a good neighbor," said Anthony Lucatelli, who works at the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library and has been with the Memphis Public Libraries for six years. "There are 18 different branches, and they all have different issues that face them and their communities, and a view from 40,000 feet can't accurately reflect the lived experiences of the Memphis Public Libraries workers."

Currently, all library employees are classified as "appointed" by the mayor, a status typically reserved for division heads or board members. This outdated designation leaves more than 200 library staff without the same workplace protections enjoyed by most other City of Memphis employees. By shifting to civil service status, workers would gain critical safeguards: transparency in hiring and firing, stronger grievance procedures, and the right to collectively bargain for fair wages and working conditions.

Van Snyder, a library worker at the recently opened Orange Mound Library, shared, "I'm still a librarian because we're public servants and I love serving the public. I'm unionizing because I want to be able to do my job well and still live well at the same time; I don't want to have to pick one over the other."

Library workers have already met with the city's Chief Human Resources Officer and appeared before the Memphis City Council to ask for this long-overdue correction. They are also calling on Mayor Paul Young to issue an executive order granting them the right to collectively bargain while the City Council takes up the question of civil service status.

A 1984 executive order issued by Mayor Hackett states that non-civil service employees cannot form a bargaining unit to establish a Memorandum of Understanding with the City, effectively denying library workers the same rights that other city employees enjoy. Community members and City workers alike are now calling on Mayor Paul Young to take action by writing a new executive order-bringing Memphis in line with 21st-century expectations of workplace fairness and accountability.

Libraries play a vital role in Memphis's communities, connecting residents with information, technology, and public services-and library workers often go far beyond their job descriptions to meet those needs. "The Library is important to all of Memphis, and we wake up daily just for each and every citizen in our communities as well as our city," said Vanessa Luellen, who works at the North Library and has been with MPL for nine and a half years. "To be informative, helpful, and resourceful. Bringing a joyful atmosphere and knowledge to all." Yet despite the essential public service she and every MPL worker provide, they still remain classified as appointed employees, a status that leaves them vulnerable to inconsistent or politically influenced employment decisions.

Library workers and their allies hope the City Council and the Mayor will respond to the voices of the people who serve Memphis every day and act now to secure dignity and fairness for all City of Memphis public servants. "Now that I am a librarian, I get to see all of the other work that libraries do every day that I never thought about as a kid," said T'Arrah Mathis from the Orange Mound Library. "We're kinda like local superheroes, so it's time for us to be recognized and get our just due and be respected as such."

###

About CWA: The Communications Workers of America represents working people in telecommunications, customer service, media, airlines, health care, public service and education, manufacturing, tech, and other fields.

cwa-union.org @cwaunion