(URBANA-CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS) – The American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees (AFSCME) is welcoming 60 Workers employed at the Urbana Free Library (UFL) in Illinois into their Union Family after they voted unanimously to Unionize.

The Library Employees were motivated to organize by a pattern of unfair and unequal treatment from management, AFSCME said.

“We were all frustrated, trying to understand why the people who actually make this library run were being treated like dirt,” said Callie Ferencak, a Library Assistant and a Member of the Organizing Committee.

Workers say decisions made by upper management were undermining the work Rank-and-File Employees were doing every day.

Carol Inskeep, a Librarian who’s worked for the Library for 30 years, said: “Our Staff loves the library.  We care about that place.  We care about our patrons.  That’s why it’s so disheartening when you see decisions get made that result in turnover or demoralize us so much that we lose the most committed people.  We know if we have a stronger voice, we’ll be able to make better decisions for our Library and our patrons.”

Now that their Union is officially certified, Employees are looking forward to building the next phase - a chapter in which Workers have a stronger voice in how their workplace serves their community and are treated with respect and paid fairly.

“The future looks bright for us,” Ferencak said.

The UFL has been Urbana-Champaign’s Public Library since 1874.

Results of the Union Election were certified by the Illinois Labor Relations Board.

More and more Library Workers are claiming a seat at the table and they’re doing so with AFSCME.

Across the Nation, AFSCME represents 25,000 Workers who are employed at 275 libraries through its Cultural Workers United Campaign.

Workers at a number of Illinois Cultural Institutions, especially in the Chicago area, have formed Unions through AFSCME Council 31 in the past few years.

To Read This Organizing Labor News Story In Its Entirety, Go To: Workers at another Illinois library organize with AFSCME | American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)