Library Worklife

Salaries & Pay Equity

Equal Pay Day, April 20

April 20 was National Library Workers Day, but it was also Equal Pay Day. The National Committee on Pay Equity (NCPE) chose April 20th to demonstrate that it takes a woman more than an additional three months to earn what a man earned the previous year. The average wage gap calculated in 2002 is still 77 cents for women for every dollar earned by men. For many women of color, the gap is even higher - 68% for African American women and 56% for Latinas. The press release from NCPE reveals what we all know too well, that the higher the percentage of women in an occupation, the lower the salaries. The Institute for Womens Policy Research released Women’s Economic Status in the States: Wide Disparities by Race, Ethnicity and Region, which states that the figures are even more dire, at 68 cents on average, 63 cents for African American women and 53 cents for Hispanic women. John Sweeney, President of the AFL-CIO reminds us that Equal Pay laws were passed in the early 1960s, yet inequities still exist. What is being done in your state or library?

AFSCME Salutes Library Workers

First Annual Library Workers Day April 20, 2004

The American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), AFL-CIO, the nation’s largest union representing librarians and other library workers salutes the American Library Association-Allied Professional Association (ALA-APA) on its annual National Library Workers Day on Tuesday, April 20. National Library Workers Day is a time to honor the contributions of all library workers, including librarians, support staff and others who make library services possible. National Library Day is part of the celebration of the 2004 National Library Week, which runs April 18-24.

Librarians and library workers are responsible for a wide variety of services that patrons come to expect from their libraries. They are in charge of much more than just checking books in and out of the library. From the U.S. Library of Congress to public libraries in Boston, New York, the District of Columbia, Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle/King County and the state of Hawaii, AFSCME librarians and library workers provide patrons the information they request every day. In countless school, college and university libraries across the country, AFSCME members give students the tools they need to succeed.

“Library workers ensure that their institutions run smoothly, but also protect our rights to privacy, and are on the front lines of the fight against censorship,” said AFSCME President Gerald W. McEntee.

McEntee added, “Thanks to library workers, all people regardless of income have access to information and valuable resources when they need them. These libraries work because AFSCME members do.”

AFSCME Salutes Library Workers Press Release