Summary of Comments on The Impact of Precarious
Work
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Author: Presenter Subject: Presentation Notes
Date: 2/16/2015 10:36:56 AM
Begin with a video that was filmed during the TPL strike in 2012
Library Workers on Precarious Work
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Presentation to the Ontario Library Association, Thursday January 29, 2015, Toronto, ON
The Impact of Precarious Work
in Canada’s Libraries
A PRESENTATION BY
MAUREEN O’REILLY
PRESIDENT
TORONTO PUBLIC LIBRARY WORKERS UNION
(TPLWU) LOCAL 4948 (CUPE)
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Author: Presenter Subject: Presentation Notes
Date: 2/16/2015 10:37:05 AM
The thing that has always struck me about my workplace is the number of workers who are part-time, in temporary, contract or
casual assignments, who have no access to benefits or pensions, and who, generally are just struggling.
Precarity, or that unfairness, seemed to be growing. Librarianship was supposed to be a career but it is becoming more and more,
just another job.
I think this picture is one of the most powerful images of our strike in Toronto.
Why is this issue important?
The Impact of Precarious Work in Canada’s Libraries
Why is this issue important to you as a library worker, administrator, trustee, union representative, or member of your community?
The answer is three fold:
Good jobs for library workers and their families are important
Precarity has an impact upon the library service
Precarity has an impact upon the profession
Interchangeable terms:
Precarious work
Part-time work
Understaffing
Casual work
Temporary work
Contract work
Other qualifier that I would like to make, part-time work has a role to play in our female dominated workplaces and I am not
advocating for its elimination nor am I suggesting that because your are a part-time worker that you do less of a valuable job in our
libraries.
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Author: Presenter Subject: Presentation Notes
Date: 2/16/2015 10:38:00 AM
Last year I wrote an article for Feliciter and I want to draw your attention to one aspect of that article again. Melvil Dewey is often
credited with changing librarianship from a vocation to a profession. And I quote:
From its inception as a profession, librarianship acquired an almost missionary quality. Because women were grateful for these new
opportunities, they gladly entered into the workplace for less money. Dewey for his part felt that the genteel nature of library work
would compensate for the lower pay that male librarians received. Although he did not say it, Dewey was he believed setting an
example for the rest of librarianship; he was recruiting a workforce with high character for low cost.
Melvil’s Girls: Still Struggling to Survive
Feliciter Issue #2 (April), 2013
The proliferation of precarious work in our workplaces is just the latest incarnation of Dewey’s legacy.
But is this just my perception or is there something to this?
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Author: Presenter Subject: Presentation Notes
Date: 2/16/2015 10:38:24 AM
CUPE has just begun a research project on precarious work. This is but one slide.
Observations from the researchers:
In most sectors, CUPE low-paid jobs are more likely to be temporary and part-time than Canadian jobs taken as a whole, which we
would expect since temporary and part-time jobs are associated with low pay. The pattern by sectors is, however, illuminating.
This table shows that the share of CUPE low-paid jobs done part-time is above the Canada all-jobs average in all but one sector,
municipal.
Of the sectors with high part-time rates, libraries stand out; 44% of CUPE members in low-paid jobs in the public library sector work
part-time.
Employment status of CUPE members in
low-paid occupations: Part Time vs Full Time
Long-term Care is next in terms of high part-time rates, followed by Social Services/Community Health and Child Care.
Other observations:
Racialized workers are over-represented in low wage jobs.
Same with females workers
Most of these workers only have temporary status
Public Library
Post-Secondary
All of these additional characteristics are represented in the library sector. Wow.
Municipal
One of the main messages I want you to take from this presentation is that library workers are precarious workers and we work in
precarious workplaces and we need to change this.
20.4% of all employed
workers part-time
K-12
Long-Term Care
Hospital
Social Services/ Community
Child Care
0
5
10
15
20
% part time
25
30
35
40
45
50
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Author: Presenter Subject: Presentation Notes
Date: 2/16/2015 10:38:34 AM
So being the good librarian, I turn to library statistics as well.
First I looked at the Canadian Urban Libraries Council data.
I tried to put together a 5 year snapshot to figure out some trends. 2009 missing.
So what I find out is that there are a lot of part-timers, part-timers are marginally growing, and that overall staffing is declining
which is masking the problem.
Canadian Urban Libraries Council
In other words:
Part-time Staff
2008 56% pt
2010 54% pt
2011 54% pt
2012 52% pt
When we drill down even further, I find something more alarming. Almost all the part-timers are the non-librarian staff.
Overwhelmingly so.
But I find the statistic quality for staffing poorly tracked in libraries. Libraries track everything but we don’t track the staffing issues
as well. Statistics for part-time work just started showing up in last few years.
2008
We have to do a better job.
2010
Total
PT Total
PT Other
PT Lib
2011
2012
0
5000
10000
15000
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Author: Presenter Subject: Presentation Notes
Date: 2/16/2015 10:38:43 AM
So being the good librarian, I turn to library statistics as well.
First I looked at the Canadian Urban Libraries Council data.
I tried to put together a 5 year snapshot to figure out some trends. 2009 missing.
So what I find out is that there are a lot of part-timers, part-timers are marginally growing, and that overall staffing is declining
which is masking the problem.
Canadian Urban Libraries Council
Full-time and Part-time Staff
12,000
But I find the statistic quality for staffing poorly tracked in libraries. Libraries track everything but we don’t track the staffing issues
as well. Statistics for part-time work just started showing up in last few years.
10,000
6,000
4,000
2,000
0
2008 56% pt
2010 54% pt
2011 54% pt
2012 52% pt
When we drill down even further, I find something more alarming. Almost all the part-timers are the non-librarian staff.
Overwhelmingly so.
14,000
8,000
In other words:
We have to do a better job.
2012
2011
2010
2208
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Author: Presenter Subject: Presentation Notes
Date: 2/16/2015 10:38:51 AM
I then turn to the Ministry statistics in Ontario. What I find is even worse.
No break down whatsoever for full time and part time workers.
So the statistics don’t help me. I know for our own dues check off that the number of part-timers has been growing. I know
anecdotally when I attend CUPE library events that I am blown away at the number of precarious workers out there.
The Ontario Statistics
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Author: Presenter Subject: Presentation Notes
So what is happening with the 4948 membership?
Who are the library workers?
Date: 2/16/2015 10:38:59 AM
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Author: Presenter Subject: Presentation Notes
Who are the library workers?
See note.
 75% women
 Approximately 51% part-time
Demographics
 Only 22% of our part-timers could
From internal TPL
Diversity Initiative
Workforce Survey (not
published) 2010-11




afford to purchase benefits
43% of Pages with 4 or more years of
service are over the age of 25 with
the majority over 45 years old
Most of our part-timers do not
qualify for the pension plan
50% of bargaining unit are visible
minorities (8% of management
comprise visible minorities)
86% of us live in Toronto
Date: 2/16/2015 10:39:05 AM
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Author: Presenter Subject: Presentation Notes
Date: 2/16/2015 10:39:12 AM
So we not only have a great number of part-time workers in our workplaces but we have at the same time a deterioration of
working conditions for library workers with the greatest impact on our part-time workers.
Collective bargaining survey. 5-7 years. We believe it is more now.
Rise of
Precarious
Work
Selected information
drawn from 2009
bargaining survey
 5 – 7 years to get a full-time job
 Split shifts
 Increased work loads
 RSI and other workplace injuries on




the rise
Few ties to base communities due to
short-staffing and lack of permanent
employment opportunities
Many PT staff work 2-3 jobs to
survive
51% of TPLWU membership PT
Threatens ability to meet family
responsibilities
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Author: Presenter Subject: Presentation Notes
Recent issues.
Date: 2/16/2015 10:39:21 AM
Grappling for some of these issues for years with no resolution. Circumstances only getting worst in many cases.
 Elimination of circulation positions with
introduction of self serve technology
Our Issues
Some recent issues of
concern for our
membership
 Work downloaded to pages at minimum










wage costs
Library technicians no longer recognized
Elimination of front-line librarian positions
De-skilling and de-professionalization
Increase in part-time and precarious work
(many of our members juggle 2-3 pt jobs)
No full-time jobs
No opportunities for youth
Takes about 7 -10 years to get a full-time
job for someone who seeks full-time work
Increase in split shifts and part-time jobs
stretched over 6 day schedules
Outsourcing of our work particularly in
areas of collection building
Violence in the workplace
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Author: Presenter Subject: Presentation Notes
Date: 2/16/2015 10:39:26 AM
Again, does it matter? This list was compiled by the Library Workers Committee in Ontario.
The equation at the top is the most important.
Top 10 Issues Facing Library Workers
Less Staff = Reduced Ability to Provide Quality Service
 Loss of highly-skilled staff with few
 Failure to recognize importance of

 Gutting of mid-level income



career paths
Elimination of full-time positions
and increase of PT precarious work
Over expansion of self-serve
technologies eliminates the frontline service culture identified by
the public as integral
Increasing reliance on electronic
formats at expense of specialized
collections and expert staff
Outsourcing our work to vendors
unable to match library standards
neighbourhood libraries
positions resulting in transitory
workforce
 Short staffing with increasing
service demands
 Retailing of libraries at the expense
of quality library service
 Loss of meaningful interaction
with our patrons diminishes job
satisfaction & breaks connections
with our diverse communities
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Author: Presenter Subject: Presentation Notes
Date: 2/16/2015 10:39:48 AM
Youth particular victims. No future. They don’t have the same opportunities as I did. In TPL virtually no hiring from the outside as
the workforce has shrunk dramatically over the past two decades. (25% decrease in staff since 1992).
Youth: The Biggest Victims of Precarious Work
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Author: Presenter Subject: Presentation Notes
Date: 2/16/2015 10:39:56 AM
This is another unfortunate trend that is growing due to the growth of precarious work.
Unfortunate incident at TPL a few years ago.
Main Street older multi-floor building. Children’s Department upstairs. No staff. Murder occurs on first floor. BH finds a way to
get upstairs to check if children, public or staff are present. Lucky as this unfortunate incident happened to be amongst family
members. Suppose if it wasn’t?
This is how the Main Street Children’s Department was
staffed the day of the murder
“Violent incidents have increased and staff and public feel less secure in the branches with less staff to monitor and address
problems”
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Author: Presenter Subject: Presentation Notes
Date: 2/16/2015 10:40:02 AM
Quote from a survey on understaffing that the union undertook last year. Gets to the heart of the problem. Service culture is being
eroded. That is what precarious work does. Workers understand it.
What our members are saying
“I feel like with the under-staffing
an issue across the entire system,
TPL is rapidly losing the ability to
deliver quality services to the
public and we are losing focus on
the real purpose of a public
library”
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Author: Presenter Subject: Presentation Notes
Date: 2/16/2015 10:40:10 AM
Last year, I left you with this quote. I have altered it from Herbert S. White and I want all of you to think about this again.
An important
quote to
ponder
Herbert S. White,
“Respect for Librarians
& Librarian SelfRespect,” Library
Journal 111, no. 2
(1986), 58.
 Is it possible to have good
libraries without good
librarians?
 Is it possible to have good
libraries with fewer
librarians?
 Is it possible to have good
libraries with precarious
librarians?
 Is it possible to have good
libraries with no librarians?
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Author: Presenter Subject: Presentation Notes
Again, I turn to the Feliciter article from last spring.
Melvil’s Girls: Still Struggling to Survive
“Even during the darkest days of the Ford regime,
there was no hue and cry from the city government to
create even more precarious and part-time work as a
cost saving measure. Yet the library budget already
reflects this reality.”
Maureen O’Reilly, President, TPLWU Local 4948
Feliciter, Issue #2, 2013, Vol. 59, p. 36
Date: 2/16/2015 10:40:16 AM
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Author: Presenter Subject: Presentation Notes
The public understands it too.
Date: 2/16/2015 10:40:25 AM
Strike was really about precarious work. See Toronto Star editorial.
Read headline.
Most Torontonians believe that a further cut in library
worker jobs would negatively impact services
Impact of further 10% cut in number of library workers on
quality of TPL services and programs
Torontonians were told that, since amalgamation, the number of library workers has been reduced by 17 percent, and
then asked what they think the impact would be on service and program quality if a further 10 percent of positions were
cut, as Mayor Ford wants. Close to eight in ten believe the impact would be negative, either very (30%) or somewhat
(47%). Subgroup positions on this issue mirror those of the previous question.
Q.16 Over the last 14 years since Toronto was amalgamated, the number of library workers in Toronto has been reduced by 17 percent. Mayor Ford wants
further cuts in the number of library workers. If there was a further 10 percent cut in the number of library workers, what impact would it have on the
quality of the services and programs offered at Toronto Public Libraries? Would it have a very negative impact, a somewhat negative impact or no impact
at all?
19
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Author: Presenter Subject: Presentation Notes
Date: 2/16/2015 10:40:30 AM
Only concession we lost was job security. 11 years. Other municipal workers 15 years. But what does this mean for our bargaining
unit. Ford invokes this clause tomorrow, part-time members with 22 years of service could be laid off and half of our bargaining
unit could be gone.
Torontonians continue to believe that cutting full-time
librarian positions is a bad move
Replacing full-time librarians with low paid part-timers
Over six in ten Toronto residents continue to believe that cutting full-time librarians is a bad move, while only onequarter think it is a good move. Thinking it is a bad move is the dominant position across the City and across all
subgroups, with the sole exception being those who strongly feel Mayor Ford is on the right track and, even here, four in
ten strong Ford supporters say it is a bad move. Even half (49%) of residents who never use the library say this is a bad
move.
Q.14t More and more, the city is moving to replace trained full time librarians who make decent wages with part timers working at much lower wages with no
benefits. Would you say that… READ AND ROTATE : This is a good move because it will save the city millions of dollars / This is a bad move because
qualified librarians with decent paying jobs will be lost
20
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Author: Presenter Subject: Presentation Notes
Date: 2/16/2015 10:40:38 AM
I am reeling from the reality of this snapshot into our profession. And I am ashamed that the profession that I committed to reflects
this. And I am angry that I cannot find the leadership in libraries to take on this issue and change it. I believe if we don’t take on
this issue, library work will become just another McJob and the public library, well known for its culture of service excellence, will just
fade away.
So who do we have to blame for the prevalence of precarious and part-time work in libraries?
Library administrators have to take the blame. Most library boards including municipal councillors are unaware of this state of
affairs.
So who do we have to blame for the
prevalence of Precarious and Part-time
work in libraries?
Please work with me in ensuring that we have a new generation of library workers to deliver the service to our communities which
they richly deserve.
Thank you.