We Demand Transparency, Justice, and Jobs Back
We Demand Transparency, Justice, and Jobs Back
Libraries for All STL is a multiracial coalition of library workers and community members who believe Black Lives Matter in our libraries. We are here because others have fought and are fighting structural racism in our community. Our timeline below lists the events that have transpired at SLCL since June 2020.
On August 11, the Library administration retaliated against employee protest by firing 122 part-time workers in the midst of a pandemic and economic recession.These workers are majority young, 38% people of color, many uninsured and some single parents. They received phone calls before their shifts or were fired on the spot. Many were not allowed to gather their belongings or say goodbye to prevent “violence” from employees, said Director Sorth.
Despite numerous public comments in support of employees and their efforts to remove police from the Library’s budget and procedures, the Library continues to stand behind this senseless and violent decision. They have stated that due to rolling back to curbside, we don’t need 122 employees. That is absolutely FALSE. They continue to say cutting employees who make $11-$13/hour on the front lines is “good stewardship” of public funds. The Board and Director say that because they have hoarded temporary, CARES-funded, $15/hour County Health jobs from the St. Louis County public at large for these 122 workers in an agreement between Director Kristen Sorth and County Executive Sam Page. These jobs require a computer, internet, and a quiet place to work or, alternatively, child care and transportation to the job.
We say NO — THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE!
NO — you cannot fire 122 people and get away with it!
NO — you cannot ignore public demands for transparency!
NO — you cannot have cops on your payroll and in your policies now or in the future!
NO — you cannot have employees who keep getting Covid-19 and not do anything different!
NO — you cannot silence us!
We Need Your Voice
The St. Louis County Library has neglected Black lives for decades, and ignored our organized demands since June. We call upon the public to amplify our demands via public comments to the Board of SLCL, statements to St. Louis County and Missouri state representatives, and letters to the editor.
We have previously demanded with the support of over 1,100 people that the Library
- SAY BLACK LIVES MATTER: Publicly state that Black Lives Matter.
- DIVEST FROM THE POLICE Remove all St. Louis County police officers from St. Louis County Libraries and the St. Louis County Library payroll. It is unconscionable to spend over half a million dollars on a security contract, especially after 120 part-time staff were let go from their positions during a pandemic. We are aware that police are not on the premises right now because we’ve rolled back to curbside; that does not change our demand to remove them from the 2021 budget and all future budgets. We further demand transparency: where did the allotted half a million dollars go, if not to cops, this year?
- FUND PUBLIC SAFETY THAT AFFIRMS BLACK LIVES Reallocate funds to holistic public safety options (including mental health professionals, peer navigators, and more library staff) that affirm Black lives by using a participatory budgeting process, involving Black and youth library users and non-managerial library staff from the six policed branches in the decision making processes.
- HIRE BLACK PEOPLE: Hire staff that represent the communities they serve, in particular hiring more Black people in all roles, especially at branch, managerial, and administrative levels. The Library has said they are committed to this but just fired 122 personnel. How is this in line with the Library’s strategic plan?
- SUPPORT WORKERS: End the culture of policing internally by allowing staff to give input in policies (internal and public) and have authentic representation in decisions that impact our lives on the front lines of service.
We Further Demand
- JOBS BACK NOW: Every employee laid off be offered their job back fully, at the pay rate they were receiving at the time of the layoff, and their tenure and accrued benefits resume uninterrupted IMMEDIATELY.
- INVEST IN STAFF: Allot funding wasted on police and swollen salaries of Library “leadership” to meaningful professional development for library staff on social work, de-escalation, youth services, anti-racism, and harm reduction. Staff must be included in decisions of which “community partners” provide these trainings, as Practical Diversity Solutions has failed multiple times.
- TRANSPARENCY: Full transparency from Sorth and the Board on how and why this decision reflects “ethical stewardship” when the library allocates over $580,000 annually on police, over $183,000 on its director’s salary, and millions on bestseller materials that are discarded six months later.
We will not be silent while SLCL inflicts harm on our community. Their secrecy, neglectful leadership, and lack of accountability cannot continue. The St. Louis County Library leadership must account for the violence they have caused. We deserve far more from our library leadership. We deserve libraries for all.
Libraries for All STL Timeline
June 2020: Beginning in June 2020, library staff were speaking out against the library’s complacency in the era of Black Lives Matter, specifically the library’s lack of response to nationwide uprisings for in response to the senseless murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. This advocacy for Black lives took place internally, specifically demanding the library divest from police presence in the libraries and invest in holistic public safety alternatives.
June 19, 2020: The Library partially reopens with restrictions including one hour visits and 10%-20% capacity limits that did not account for staff within the percentage.
June 30, 2020: The Library announces the Natural Bridge Branch will temporarily close due to a staff member testing positive for Covid-19.
July 8, 2020: In response to staff activism, Library Director Kristen Sorth announces she would hold townhalls over Zoom for non-managerial staff and managers (respectively) facilitated by a third party, Practical Diversity Solutions. We are not aware what the group was paid for their work.
July 16, 2020: The Library announces the Weber Road Branch will temporarily close due to a staff member testing positive for Covid-19.
July 17, 2020: Sorth holds her first townhall meeting over Zoom. Many staff felt unheard and that the townhalls were poorly facilitated.
July 20, 2020: Libraries for All STL garners support over social media platforms, calling for the public to submit public comments to the Board of Trustees about divesting from police At their regularly scheduled July Board of Trustees Meeting, the Board receives 38 public comments on topics related to divesting from police and Black Lives Matter.
July 22, 2020: The Library announces the Samuel Sachs Branch will temporarily close due to a staff member testing positive for Covid-19.
After an email announcement was emailed to all staff that a third branch had a worker test positive for Covid-19, Sorth sends an email to all staff with no announcement to scale back services. Several library staff reply all to the communication, demanding transparency. The library dismantles the all-staff listserv to stop the reply-alls. Staff work around this by emailing branch and department listservs, which were also dismantled and changed as a result.
July 23, 2020: St. Louis County Executive Sam Page announces he designated $4 million in CARES Act funding to the County Library to establish a “Digital Equity Initiative,” which would pay for things like Chromebooks, wifi hotspots, and virtual tutoring for students in the St. Louis County area.
July 24, 2020: The Board holds a Special Executive Session, which is closed to the public. Their public agenda stated they would “Discuss legal matters (Section 610.021(1) and personnel (Section 610.021) (3) and (13).” These sections deal with personnel records.
July 28, 2020: The Library announces it will return to a curbside-only model.
Aug. 11, 2020: The Library lets go of 122 part-time circulation and desk (public-facing) staff. Staff receive no company-wide notice. Many staff not let go find out through friends or informal communications that their coworkers are gone. Individual staff are notified over the phone that their employment has been terminated. We know 38% of the staff let go were people of color.
Aug. 12, 2020: The Library announces the Mid-County Branch will temporarily close due to a staff member testing positive for Covid-19. Sorth sends an official announcement in the reduction of staff to all staff over email which includes that laid off staff will receive an employment opportunity with the St. Louis County Health Department.
Aug. 16, 2020: Libraries for All STL submits our original Action Network petition with over 1,100 signatures, to the Board of Trustees and Director Sorth. The Board has not responded to our petition.
Aug. 17, 2020: The Library Board of Trustees holds their regularly scheduled meeting over Zoom with over 20 supportive public comments read during the allotted 30 minutes. The St. Louis American publishes our story, “Black librarians speak out after 122 St. Louis County Library workers fired” online. KSDK later picks up the story.
