BALTIMORE – Masetsaba Woodland, Dominic Serino and Josie Breck all work for the fabled Enoch Pratt Free Library (EPFL) system in Maryland’ s largest city. And all three of them voted in favor of their first union contract for EPFL system employees on Aug. 1 citing different reasons.
Workers voted nearly 99% in favor of ratifying the contract last Friday. After nearly two years of negotiations with management, Pratt Workers United — formed under AFSCME Maryland Council 3 — reached a tentative agreement in late June.
Employees announced their intention to organize with AFSCME in June 2022. The ratification vote represents a final step towards securing wage increases, health and safety improvements, and expanded workplace rights.
“I voted yes because this contract offers real protections and rights for us as workers. With this union contract, we’re better prepared to serve our library patrons with the support and attention they deserve,” said Woodland, a librarian at the central library.
Highlights of the contract include:
- A $1,000 ratification bonus for part-time and full-time employees
- A provision to negotiate wages for fiscal year 2026 following AFSCME’s negotiations for other municipal employees
- A transparent process for handling building closures and employee transfers
- Health and safety protections, including quarterly Health and Safety Committee meetings with workers and management
- And protections against discrimination at work.
Serino, an office technician at the central library, said the contract puts workers “on fair terms with management.”
“It’s about time my co-workers and I have a formal agreement that guarantees we have a voice on the job,” he said. “We’re the ones doing the work every day, and this agreement recognizes the vast amount of experience and knowledge we bring to our work and the communities we serve.”
Breck, a library associate at the central library, said the contract empowers workers.
“This union contract gives us real organizing power to stick up for what we need to keep this library system running. We have a voice at the table, and we will continue to advocate for better working conditions and fair pay,” Breck said.
This contract covers more than 300 library workers across all 22 locations of the library system, including full-time and part-time staff. The bargaining unit includes workers in a wide range of roles, including librarians, office technicians, program specialists, custodial staff, security personnel, and more.
Pratt Workers United is part of a national movement of workers organizing in recent years through the AFSCME Cultural Workers United program. In Maryland, that includes workers at the Anne Arundel County Public Library, Baltimore Museum of Art, Howard County Library System, and the Walters Art Museum.
“Our union contract is the foundation in building a strong union culture here at the Enoch Pratt Free Library,” said Neil Jones, a network engineer at the central library. “With our contract, we are securing future wins that will drastically improve our wages and working conditions to benefit library employees and the system as a whole.”