History

1937

October 31. A group of 13 activists employed by Chicago Public Library (CPL) initiate a labor organizing campaign. The effort is led by Abram “Abe” Korman, who later becomes the president of CPL’s first employee union: Local 88, organized for the newly created Committee for Industrial Organization (CIO) and the State, County, and Municipal Workers of America (SCMWA). Local 88’s initial main goal is to strengthen civil service practices within CPL. Its major directives include “the good of the library itself, and the well-being of the library employees, individually and collectively.” To achieve these goals, the Local fights for adequate staffing, an increase in the minimum wage for full- and part-time employees, a 35-hour workweek, and safe working conditions.

Image: The first issue of the CPL Union News, October 1937, Chicago Municipal Record Collection, Harold Washington Library Center, Chicago Public Library.

1938

December. One of Local 88’s first actions is to demand a minimum salary of $100 per month and an increase of $20 per month for all full-time employees. The demands make it to the Mayor’s desk in 1939, but the Library Board rejects them.

Image: Cartoon in early CPL Union News bulletin, 1938, Chicago Municipal Record Collection, Harold Washington Library Center, Chicago Public Library.

1939

October. Local 88 organizes a citywide rally in protest of Hitler and fascism.

1944

February. Local 88 advocates for legislation against poll taxes, which prevented some African-Americans from voting. The Local also distributes a pamphlet titled “We Hold These Truths,” as a part of an ongoing effort to educate non-Black union members about important issues in civil rights.

1949

September. Local 88 becomes Local 1215, due to the formation of the Government and Civic Employees Organizing Committee, “the CIO successor to United Public Workers.”

1956

Local 1215 finalizes the move into AFSCME.

Image: Local 1215 Executive Board members pose during membership drive. The Public Employee, March 1966, Walter P. Reuther Library, Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs, Wayne State University.

1967

March. Local 1215 threatens a strike over the right to represent its members in the processing of grievances, and the right to submit suggestions for improvement in personnel practices. An agreement is reached between the union, Mayor Daley and library officials.

1972

September. The Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU) hosts its inaugural convention in Chicago.

1973

Illinois Governor Daniel Walker agrees to grant state, county, and city employees the right to unionize. This results in the formation of AFSCME Illinois Council 31.

Image: Former Local 1215 President Mary Ann Gillpatrick works in the card catalog at the Near North Branch. The Public Employee, September 1983, Walter P. Reuther Library, Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs, Wayne State University.

1982

November. Local 1215 asserts that Mayor Jane Byrne’s administration is widening the wage gap between men and women. Twenty city employees, including library workers, file discrimination charges against Mayor Byrne’s administration through the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Image: Local 1215 member Joyce Wiggins signs up a child for the summer reading program at Sherman Park Library. The Public Employee, September 1983, Walter P. Reuther Library, Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs, Wayne State University.

1985

December 13. Mayor Harold Washington signs the City of Chicago’s first collective bargaining contract with AFSCME. The historic contract included a 5% pay increase for 3,500 employees, mostly women.

Image: Librarian Patrick Dewey works on the computer at the North-Pulaski branch. “It was the work of the Local 1215 member that got the computer for the library.” The Public Employee, September 1983, Walter P. Reuther Library, Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs, Wayne State University.

1987

September. Chicago’s first Labor Day Parade in four decades is a massive success, and includes a float from AFSCME Council 31 with Local 1215 represented.

Image: AFSCME Council 31 Labor Day Float, 1987. Photo by Hank Scheff. Source: Walter P. Reuther Library, Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs, Wayne State University.

Image: Local 1215 members picket for a fair contract in downtown Chicago, circa 1990. Local 1215 Archives.

1999

Local 1215 attends the CBTU Convention in New Orleans, publicly supporting the right of Avondale Metal Company workers to organize.

Image: CBTU Convention in New Orleans, Louisiana: Local 1215 members join a rally for organizing workers, 1999 Source: Chicago Chapter, Coalition of Black Trade Unionists Archives, [Box 10, Photo 030] Chicago Public Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature.

2012

January. After petitioning for several months and gaining thousands of signatures, Local 1215 files a grievance against Mayor Rahm Emanual’s decision to reduce hours and lay off 176 library workers.

2020

May. Library workers fight Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s decision to reopen all Chicago Public Library branches for in-person service with inadequate patron and worker health protections at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Union members fight for PPE, designated hours for immunocompromised patrons, and air quality mitigations to protect the public and staff.

Special thanks to Local 1215 member CW for researching and compiling our Local’s history.

Works Cited

AFSCME. “AFSCME Council 31 – History & Today.” AFSCME 31, https://www.afscme31.org/about/afscme-council-31-organizational-history.

“Appendix A.” Library Trends: Employee Organizations and Collective Bargaining in Libraries, vol. 25, ser. 2, Oct. 1976, p. 517. 2.

Axelrod, David, and Douglas Frantz. “Union Claims Byrne Administration is Unfair to Women on City Payroll.” Chicago Tribune (1963-1996), Nov 12 1982, p. 2. ProQuest. Web. 29 June 2022 .

Brown, Mark. “‘Honk if you love libraries’.” Chicago Sun-Times (IL), sec. News, 24 Jan. 2012, p. 6. NewsBank: America’s News, infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=NewsBank&docref=news/13C79CE88594D928. Accessed 29 June 2022.

Cherone, Heather. “Library Workers Should Be Vaccinated against COVID-19 Immediately: Union, Aldermen.” WTTW News, 4 Feb. 2021, https://news.wttw.com/2021/02/04/library-workers-should-be-vaccinated-against-covid-19-immediately-union-aldermen.

Chicago Chapter, Coalition of Black Trade Unionists Archives, Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature

Kleiman, Carol. “The State of the States On Pay Equity is Ever Improving.” Chicago Tribune (pre-1997 Fulltext), Sep 29 1986, p. 21. ProQuest. Web. 29 June 2022 .

Latham, Joyce M. “ ‘So Promising of Success:’ The Role of Local 88 in the Development of the Chicago Public Library, 1937-1952.” Progressive Librarian, no. 30, 2007, pp. 18–37.

Spielman, Fran. “Chicago library employees protest Lightfoot’s decision to keep all 80 libraries open during pandemic.” Chicago Sun-Times (IL), sec. News, 17 Mar. 2020. NewsBank: America’s News, infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=NewsBank&docref=news/179C7C4ED9880A90. Accessed 29 June 2022.

Spielman, Fran. “Library workers, patrons protest cuts.” Chicago Sun-Times (IL), sec. News, 1 Nov. 2011, p. 16. NewsBank: America’s News, infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=NewsBank&docref=news/13ABEABFF3952F58. Accessed 29 June 2022.

AFSCME Archives, Walter P. Reuther Library, Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs, Wayne State University.