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CUPE’s over 22,000 library workers provide front-line services to communities in every province across the country. Members are employed by public library boards, municipalities, universities, colleges, and school boards.
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Resources
New collective agreement language to improve library worker health and safety
Workers should never be expected or required to accept violence and harassment as a normal part of their job. All workers have the right to a safe workplace, free from all forms of violence and harassment.
Library worker profiles
October is Library Month in Canada, and we’re celebrating CUPE library workers and the invaluable services they provide. Libraries are not just buildings that hold books. There is so much that goes on within their walls thanks to the passion, skill, and creativity of library workers! Read some of their stories.
Sector profile: Library
CUPE library workers are predominantly employed in public, school, and post-secondary libraries in every province across the country. They make libraries spaces that are open, welcoming, and accessible to everyone. They provide vital services to promote literacy and combat mis- and disinformation. They connect people to countless resources and to one another. They design and deliver a broad range of services such as family story time, peer tutor writing programs, and digital scholarship services. They answer innumerable questions about anything and everything. And they support learning, research, employment, creativity, and social engagement to help empower people.
Guide
Fighting back against staffless libraries through collective bargaining
Library workers are the heart and soul of libraries. It’s hard to imagine libraries without them
Sectors of work
CUPE is Canada’s largest union, with over 800,000 members. It is also a very diverse union in terms of the sectors it represents. Our members work in eleven different sectors. Some sectors have over 150,000 members each, such as health care, education, and municipal services, while others have fewer members. However, our union relies on the strength of all its members, regardless of their sector or type of job. Learn more about each of these sectors and the specific issues facing each one.
Resources for bargaining committees
CUPE offers many tools to support locals during bargaining. They include CUPE National staff representatives, specialist staff support, the Collective Agreement Information System, bargaining-related workshops, regional office support, and materials for bargaining committees.