Press Release | Office of the Mayor | Westland Library Finalizes First Collective Bargaining Agreement with the Westland Library Union SEIU Local 517M

For Immediate Release | Official Press Release

PRESS RELEASE

OFFICE OF THE MAYOR

36300 Warren Road | Westland, Michigan | 48185

Office 734.467.3200 | Fax 734.422.1230

WWW.CITYOFWESTLAND.COM

Westland Library Finalizes First Collective Bargaining Agreement with the Westland Library Union SEIU Local 517M

Westland, MI (March 26, 2019) - On Thursday, March 21 the William P. Faust Westland Public Library and the City of Westland held a joint press conference to announce the finalization of the first Collective Bargaining Agreement with the Westland Library Union SEIU Local 517M. The agreement will cover a three-year period through June 30, 2022.

After eight months of bargaining, both parties reached an agreement on March 4, 2019 which was ratified by the Union's membership and the Library Board on March 13, 2019.

Details of this agreement include:

Non-supervisory employees will receive a wage increase over the life of the contract and most employees will receive an immediate increase in pay
A yearly pay adjustment of 1% on July 1, 2020 and July 1, 2021
Wage increases will go into effect during the pay period beginning March 18 and the first pay checks with the new wages will be issued on Friday, April 5
Establishes new classification grades for employees
Establishes a clear process for discipline and grievances if the contract is not adhered to
Disciplinary action will require an investigation and just cause

The library saw a complete overhaul in leadership back in August of 2017 when an entirely new Board of Trustees was appointed by Mayor Wild and approved by the Westland City Council. They were tasked with appointing a new Library Director and negotiating a contact with the recently organized employees.

Ishwar Laxminarayan, who was appointed to serve as the Library Director in June of 2018, commended the efforts of the negotiation team.

"At the end of the day we should all be very pleased with what we were able to accomplish, which is an agreement that serves both parties very well, I am especially excited for the future and working with this great staff in the years ahead to take our services to an entirely new level.

In April of 2017, the Westland Library staff voted to form a union represented by LEUI Local 517 M. Their statement of purpose noted:

"We believe our library can be a play where all people are treated with respect and dignity, where ideas are welcome, where learning and growth are encouraged and where teamwork, trust and mutual support are highly valued."

After two years of negotiations and the collective efforts of many, negotiations have been finalized and a Collective Bargaining Agreement has been reached.

The negotiation team was made up of :

Westland Library Union, SEUI Local 517M

Katie Dover-Taylor

Cari Fry

Lorene Waybrant

Dominic Barbato (Uniserve Director for SEUI)

Library

Ishwar Laxminarayan

Gayle Nicholson (Board Member)

Gary Chappell (Board Member)

Michael McNamara (Attorney for Library)

Stephani Field (Director, HR, City of Westland)

"I appreciate the help of everyone who worked to put this historic agreement together," commented Mayor Wild. "Our library is an incredible place and it really, truly is the talented individuals that work here that make this library special."

"The staff at the library did an outstanding job conducting themselves as professionals during times of turmoil," commented Council President Jim Godbout. "The service provided to residents who utilize the library was never negatively affected by anything that was going on behind the scenes and on behalf of all my colleagues on the Westland City Council I want to thank everyone who was involved in these negotiations and those who continue to operate the library in an outstanding fashion."

"There was a lot of talk about the past when we first came in, but we look at it as a unique opportunity to highlight the positivity of using the past as a cornerstone to building towards the future to make the Westland Library the benchmark of its peers and best in class," commented Library Board President, James Higgins. "It's been a pleasure to serve and we will continue to do so."

"We want to express our deep gratitude to the Westland community and local leaders who showed their support for the library staff in the turbulent months for our campaign to unionize. We would also like to thank the board of trustees and director for all of their truly hard work in restoring respectful and accountable leadership at the library," commented Katie Dover-Taylor, Chair of the Westland Library Union. "While collective bargaining is never easy, we have emerged from the process with an agreement that both sides can be proud of, unanimously supported both by union members and the library board. This first contract established a structure that will allow our staff continue to grow and thrive in service to this community."

For more information, please call the Mayor's Office at (734)467-3200

Westland, Michigan is the state's 10th largest municipality, with a population of over 84,000 people who exhibit a great deal of pride in their All-American City. Westland has a thriving business community along with beautiful residential areas. The citizens enjoy a wide array of amenities and a quality of life that is second to none.

In 2014, Westland was rated as one of 24/7 Wall Street's America's Best 50 Cities to Live, offering residents and visitors an ideal blend of single-family affordable homes, apartments and condominiums, great schools, and access to numerous outdoor activities. Public safety is delivered by full-service, professional law enforcement and firefighting personnel. Westland Police Department, whose motto is protect and serve, provides emergency dispatch services to four cities and over 100,000 residents; the Westland Fire Department are licensed paramedics who responded to over 9,000 calls for service last year, about 85% being medical based. They never forget their mission of preserving life and property.

Westland is well-known as the premier destination for shopping and dining in Wayne County with hundreds of shops and restaurants anchored by the Westland Shopping Center, one of the country's original four regional malls.

Infinite opportunities are available in Westland for the recreation aficionado including, more than 40 parks and 1,500 acres of trails, a 9-hole golf course, hockey arena, athletic fields, playscapes, a Farmers and Artisans Market and more. One of Michigan's most environmentally friendly cities, Westland has a progressive curbside recycling program with one of the highest participation rates in the nation and the City is raising the bar for cultural experiences with the placement of public art throughout the City.

The City is served by two public school districts; Wayne-Westland Community Schools serving 12,000 youth was recently named one of the Best School in Michigan by WXYZ-TV and is the proud recipient of 14 Golden Apple and two Michigan Blue Ribbon Exemplary School Awards. Livonia Public Schools, educating nearly 15,000 students, is proud of their MEAP/MME scores that exceed state averages and the District has also earned Golden Apple and Michigan Blue Ribbon Exemplary School Awards.

The City provides competitive incentives for those who are interested in investing in Westland, making it one of the hottest investment markets in the region. Our Fast-Track to Business Team, which consists of key decision makers who work diligently on a development plan will "cut the red tape" and expedite the approval process for new business development.