Salt Lake City librarians officially unionize, but likely referendum to determine next steps

Yahoo

05-05-2025

Despite potential headwinds from a new state law barring public collective bargaining agreements, which is now likely headed for the ballot, Salt Lake City librarians made Utah history this week by voting to unionize.
A whopping 92% of Salt Lake City Public Library employees voted to unionize during a formal vote that wrapped up on Thursday, union officials said on Friday. They now join the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees Local 1004, which represents many other Salt Lake City employees, setting up negotiations for what could be the first-of-its-kind collective bargaining agreement in the state — should HB267 be overturned.
'We, as workers, are looking forward to negotiating our first contract. We've always been here for our community, and we finally have the tools to advocate for ourselves and for each other,' said Christina Ordonez, a Salt Lake City associate librarian, in a statement after the votes were tallied.
The city library system 'respects and affirms' the election results, Noah Baskett, CEO of The Salt Lake City Public Library, said after the results were announced.
'This moment reflects a renewed and shared commitment — by our employees and our leadership — to continue to be a workplace rooted in dignity, fairness and respect. I deeply appreciate the thoughtfulness and care with which our staff have engaged in this process,' he added in a statement.
This week's vote marked the end of a long process that first went public over two years ago.
Over 60% of the city's workforce is represented by various unions, but city librarians were the largest department not unionized at the time staff revealed their intent to form one in April 2023. Employees said at the time they wanted to resolve 'long-standing issues' related to the job, including safety concerns, below-average wages, inaccessible or expensive health care, and exclusion from decisions made by library system leaders.
Their request sparked lengthy negotiation efforts, which ended with the Salt Lake City Public Library board of directors voting in December 2024 to allow employees to unionize, and the Salt Lake City Council voting in February of this year to create a collective bargaining structure process should employees unionize.
They're now the first public library union in the state, following the recent vote.
'This is a historic moment not just for Salt Lake City, but for the entire state of Utah,' said Jerry Philpot, president of the local union chapter. 'Library workers have always served their community with dedication, and now they will finally have a voice at the table to ensure their workplace is fair, safe and sustainable.'
However, it's unclear how those negotiations will play out because of HB267, which bans collective bargaining in the public sector, among other things related to public unions. It was slated to go into effect in July, but groups opposed to it collected enough signatures on a referendum to put it up for a public vote.
Once finalized by the state, the legislation will be held before going on the 2026 ballot.
Unionization may not factor into the library's upcoming budget, but the system plans to pay employees 'equitably and competitively' based on the results of a compensation study carried out by a third-party company, Baskett told Salt Lake City leaders last month. He added at the time that library staff had been 'in close conversation' with union lawyers over the next steps.
Next year's likely referendum will ultimately play a role in the future steps.
'We are moving forward in the hopes that Utahns will vote in the best interests of their public workers,' Philpot said. 'This isn't just about union rights. It's about protecting the people who serve our communities every single day.'