Public Employee Press

Activists urge the state to boost library funding


"People came away very excited about their lobbying experience." — Eileen Muller President, Local 1482

Over 100 activists traveled to Albany on Feb. 24 to lobby state legislators for library funding. Workers represented by the union's four library locals spent the day visiting state senators, Assembly members and their staff in the legislative office building in downtown Albany.

Each year, the New York Library Association sponsors Library Lobby Day in Albany. The DC 37 Political Action and Legislation Dept. worked with the library locals on the lobbying message, providing a bus to transport members from union headquarters in downtown Manhattan. Other members also took buses from Queens and Brooklyn.

This year's lobbying effort in Albany focused on library capital spending, building on a major campaign in pressing the City Council to boost funding. DC 37 is working with a coalition to fight for a $65 million increase in annual operating expenses and $1.1 billion for a 10-year capital plan in the budget for next year. (See pages 6-7.)

"The day went very well," said Eileen Muller, president of Brooklyn Library Guild Local 1482. "We had eight people and we split up to go to the offices of our own legislators. People came away very excited about their lobbying experience."

Besides urging legislators to support substantial direct funding for libraries in next year's budget, union members also asked them to help libraries through their discretionary budgets, said Cuthbert Dickenson, president of Quasi-Public Employees Local 374, which represents blue-collar workers at the New York Public Library and serves Manhattan, Staten Island and the Bronx.

NYPL workers delivered an informational packet to legislators and their staff, said Local 1930 President Valentin Colon. Specifically, the local activists focused on the needs of research libraries.

"Our members had a strong showing, and they did a good job emphasizing how important libraries are to our communities and the quality of life of New York City," said John Hyslop, president of Queens Library Guild Local 1321.

The Assembly later voted to include $10 million for the city's libraries in next year's budget.