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June 27, 2006

ALA Council II New Orleans

My arrival was delayed and the following actions occured before I got to the meeting:

General business.

Policy monitoring committee had three action items.

1.  Key Action Areas - these are approved annually.

  • Diversity
  • Equitable Access to Information and Library Services
  • Educatino and Lifelong Learning
  • Intellectual Freedom
  • Advocacy for Libraries and the Profession
  • Literacy
  • Organizational Excellence

This was approved.

2.  Support of Academic Freedom - voted on at Midwinter this was approved to move to the policy manual as below:

The American Library Association reaffirms the principles of academic freedom embodied in the American Association of University Professors' "Statement on Academic Freedom and Tenure" (1940) and opposes any legislation or codification of documents (e.g. the "Academic Bill of Rights" (ABOR) ) that undermine academic or intellectual freedom, chill free speech, and/or otherwise interfere with the academic community's well-established norms and values of scholarship and educational excellence.  This was approved.

Approved at Midwinter the following was approved to be added to the policy manual:

Rights of Librarians and Library Workers to Travel

The American Library Association affirms and supports the rights of librarians and library workers in or from the U.S. to travel to all countries in order to attend and participate in conferences, to purchase books and other library materials, to meet and develop working relationships with librarisn, to develop gift and exchange programs, to pursue and establish ties with library and other professional associations and libraries, and to conduct educational and professional library-related activities.  In additiona, ALA affirms and supports the rights of librarians and library workers from outside the U.S. to travel to the U.S., and not be prohibited to impeded by U.S. government policies, to attend and particpate in conferences, to purchase books, and other library materials, to meet and develop working relatinoships with librarians and library staff, to develop gift and exchange programs, to pursue and establish ties with library and other professional associations and libraries and to conduct educational and professional library-related activities.  This was approved.

The Chapter Relations Committee proposed the following resolution:

Resolved, that the American Library Association opposes Taxpayer Bill of Rights Laws (TABOR), also known by other names such as Taxpayer Expenditure Limitation (TEL), Stop Over Spending Now (SOS) and other names, through the state legislatures or by state constitutional amendment; and be it

Resolved, that the American Library Associatino encourages state and regional library associations to oppose the passage of these laws, and take steps necessary to defeat such legislation or constitutional amendments.  This passed.

 Budget Analysis and Review Committee (BARC) proposed to study the financial impact of a graduated dues study proposal.  This passed - I voted for.

This generated discussion on several levels.

  • It is a study to study the feasability of a feasability study.  Considered by some to be a waste of time and beauracracy at it's finest.
  • It doesn't mention other types of dues structures which were in the resolution at MidWinter.
  • The apparent lack of forward motion on the concept.

Regarding point 1 - We have never collecte dsalary informatino on members.  It is time to do this and ncessary to determine possible income from this method.  This will be an expensive propositino and has not been included in the budget.  While this sounds ridiculous, it is actually a necessary step to proceed.

Point 2 - The title comes from the Midwinter resolution so does not refelct other methods, but the Chair of BARC, Patty Wong, promises the study of other alternatives is implicit in the recommendation from her committee.

Point 3 - Actually work has begun and will not proceed if this recommendation is not acted upon.  If we do not do this, we will go back to the beginning and start all over again, actually delaying the process.

While different facgtions had issues with some aspects of this process, it was agreed that we wished to proceed, so the recommendatino was accepted to move forward.  More to follow at Mid-Winter.This passed - I voted for.

Budgetary Ceiling for FY07 was passed - I voted for.

The Freedom to Read Foundation reported on various cases.  It was greeted with applause and cheers when formally announced that the FBI had withdrawn their request for information in the John Doe/Patriot Act case in Connecticut.  This brings that case to a close.

Resolution on the Dafur Genocide

Therefore be it resolved that the American Library Association Council urge all the relevant ALA units and the profession-at-large to highlight and explain the Darfur Genocide through collections, programs, display, resource guides, and other suitable means.

(Amended) Resolved that the ALA call upon publishers to acitvely seek and publish materials at both lay and scholaraly levels to add to public understanding of Darfur and other genocidal conflicts.

This passed as amended - I voted for both amendment and passage.

Conference data as of Monday. June 26

9,047 advance registrations, 2,916 on site registrations = 11,963 registrants  4,821 exhibitors for a total of  16,784.   Orlando was 19,500 at this point.

Council II adjourned early.

I have two forums this afternoon and then Council III on Wednesday.  This will be my last access to a computer until I arrive home.  I will post the activity from Council III later this week.  Please forgive any spelling mistakes-spell check is not working on this machine.

Rob Banks

ALA Councilor

Posted by Rob at 01:01 PM |

ALA-APA Council New Orleans

We finished early this morning, so I can post a report to you.

 ALA-APA Council

General business was conducted at the beginning of the meeting: approving minutes, approving agenda, etc.

Resolution on Support for Freed to Form Unions - passed - I voted against.  Text was posted previously. It was amended as follows:

The paragraph urging the National Labor Relations Board to refrain from further attacks on workers' rights was deleted by vote.  I voted for this deletion.  No one could define "further attacks" or cite examples of any attacks.  The striking of this clause was widely accepted.

There was considerable discussion about this resolution and what effect it could have.  It only relates to private sector employees and who are allowed by state law to organize.  This was deemed to be a very small number, nationally.  Some argued that what hurts one, hurts all.  There was concern that this resolution would not have the desired effect.  I felt that the information offered by several council members who are well informed about national labor issues was helpful.  They were opposed to this resolution.  They were able to convince me to vote against it. 

Resolution in support for Overtime Pay Protection. Text posted previously. Voted against - it failed.

This also generated significant discussion.  What convinced me to vote against this was the laws governing overtime were changed about 2 years ago and overtime pay has statistically improved nationally since that time.  This resolution had languished in a committee for about 2 years and was brought forward to clean up old business.  Support for overtime pay was expressed 2 years ago.  Therefore, it didn't make sense to advance this resolution at this time.

Budgetary ceiling for FY 2007 ALA-APA was approved.  I voted for this.

The meeting was adjourned.

Posted by Rob at 12:46 PM |

ALA Conference-New Orleans

Just a note to say that my schedule is not going to allow me time to access a computer until I return later this week.  I will fill you in on the remaining meetings at that time.

 

Rob

ALA Councilor

Posted by Rob at 07:54 AM |

June 25, 2006

Greetings from New Orleans

Greetings from New Orleans.  I will try to blog as schedule and computer availablility permit. The heat and humidity are high, but New Orleans has put out the red carpet for us.  They are trying very hard to show that they can handle this large of a conference and provide a good time for all.  I must say the food is every bit as good as I remember.  There are some noticable stores and restaurants closed due to Katrina, but they are working hard and you see construction work everywhere. 

We were welcomed by Mayor Nagin and the Lt. Governor of Louisiana at the opening session.  Madeline Albright was the key-note speaker.  She has been controversial, as some feel she is too conservative and others that she is too liberal.  None the less a large crowd turned out for her speech.   

ALA Council Information Session 

ALA Council information session was held this morning.  Budget Analysis and Review Committee (BARC) reported that they are studying a graduated dues increase and other forms of dues structures per the instructions of Council at Mid-Winter in San Antonio.

 The Endowment Trustees reported that the Endowment currently has over $25 million.  These are mostly long-term investments and not true endowments.  They are looking to continue to find socially responsible investments.  ALA investments reflect the vagaries of the market, but generally have done OK.

There was a discussion of the pros and cons of Librarians without Libraries program.  Some are concerned that retired Librarians as volunteers may provide incentive to governing bodies to cut funding by using these volunteers instead of hiring professionals, especially those just out of school.  Leslie Burger, ALA President-elect, explained the intent of this project was to provide short-term assistance in cases where it was needed and it was not intended to replace anyone.  Some councilors spoke about positive results in their locations related to this type of program.  Leslie asked that decisions about the effort wait until after some additional meetings and the feasibility study is finished.

Dollar General Stores has established a school relief fund for schools that have been damaged in a disaster.  The first schools will be on the Gulf Coast, but this money is available for all 50 states, wherever a disaster occurs.

Registration figures as of Saturday, 11605 attendees; 4,704 vendors for a total of 16,309.  This number is about 2,000 less than ALA in Orlando.  Everyone is pleased given the concerns about New Orleans hosting this large of an event.  The fear was that many would chose to not come.

 ALA-APA Information Session

ALA-APA is about $30,000 in the red.  This is considered good news as we were over twice that amount at last years' meeting.  Concern was still expressed over the lack of identity with the name and the difficulty of selling this concept to members.  The concern was that solvency will continue to be a problem if librarians cannot connect to the organization.

Council I

General business issues were addressed and reports were given. 

A resolution endorsing HR 676 for Single Payer Universal Health Care and S2772, the Health Parnership Act was put before the council.  I voted to approve the amendment that it be sent to the Committee on Legislation for comments and to be returned to us before the end of this Conference.  The drafters of this resolution do not think that it will accomplish an change in the direction of legislation, but will put ALA on record for supporting available/affordable health care covereage for everyone, including library workers.  Unless I find information to the contrary, I expect that I will support this resolution.

A discussion of the process of selecting opening and closing speakers for ALA conferences was fairly intense.  There is concern among some councilors that this process has not been formalized and it was not happening as it should.  An interim process has been established by Leslie Burger, ALA President-elect.  The Conference Committee is proposing wording which will come before the Executive Board for approval.  Councilors expressed the desire to be able to comment on this wording before it becomes procedure by the Executive Board. 

Keith Michael-Fiels, ALA Executive Director, reported that ALA membership is up about 2.3% over last year.  Personal members  62,293; organizational members 3,821; 268 corporate members with at total membership of 66,382.

 That completes today's Council activities. 

I'm off to the exhibits and some sessions and did I mention the food!?!

Until the next opportunity - Let the Good times roll!

Rob Banks, ALA Councilor

Posted by Rob at 12:13 PM |

June 19, 2006

ALA-APA Resolution on Overtime Pay

This resolution on overtime pay will be presented during the ALA-APA (Allied Professional Association) portion of our meeting in New Orleans.  We will only vote on the resolved clauses.  I wanted to make you aware of the issue.

 Rob

SUPPORT FOR OVERTIME PAY PROTECTIONS

WHEREAS, the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) represented an historic effort to lessen unemployment and strengthen living standards for workers in the United States, ranking in the view of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, with only the possible exception of Social Security, as “the most far-reaching, far-sighted, program for the benefit of workers ever adopted here or in any other country”; and

WHEREAS, the FLSA requirement of paying time-and-a-half for hours beyond 40 in a workweek serves both FLSA objectives of spreading employment and improving living standards; and

WHEREAS,  the U. S. Department of Labor (DOL) has accordingly defined the exemptions from the FLSA overtime pay protections for executive, administrative, and professional employees narrowly, until this year;[1]-[2] and

WHEREAS,  DOL issued proposed regulations on March 31, 2003 that would so dramatically expand the exemptions for executive, administrative, and professional employees as to remove more than eight million U. S. workers from overtime pay protections, which would lead to those Americans working longer hours for lower pay, to the detriment of their living standards, families, communities, and civic participation;[3] and

WHEREAS, the proposed regulations would impact already under compensated library professionals with longer hours and  lower pay, resulting in lower retention rates and less successful recruiting efforts all of which would worsen already difficult employment conditions for library workers; and

WHEREAS, having already publicly supported the expansion of overtime pay protections and opposed their diminution, and thus joined a national outcry leading to majority votes in the U. S. Senate and House of Representatives that would require DOL not to cut back overtime pay protections for covered workers while allowing DOL to expand those protections to workers who do not have them now.[4]

Therefore be it resolved that the American Library Association-Allied Professional Association:

1.      Urges the President of the United States and DOL to withdraw the proposed regulations insofar as they exclude workers from overtime pay protections and to retain the proposed regulations to the extent that they expand the categories of protected workers;

2.      Urges the U. S. Congress to continue to protect the integrity of the FLSA, and thus wages, hours and living standards for U. S. workers;

3.       Encourages other professional associations and societies representing library workers in the United States by speaking out in favor of expanding overtime pay protections for low-wage workers rather than cutting them back for already covered workers; and

4.      Instructs its staff to send copies of this resolution to the President of the United States, the Secretary of Labor, and every member of Congress and to publicize it through print, online and other media of the Association.


[1]   Nordlund WJ.  A brief history of the Fair Labor Standards Act. Labor Law Journal Nov. 1988: 715-728: 715.

[2]   Lipman RD, Plesur A, Katz J.  A call for bright-lines to fix the Fair Labor Standards Act.  Hofstra Labor Law Journal  Spring 1994: 357-389.

[3]   Eisenbrey R, Bernstein J.  Eliminating the right to overtime pay:  Department of Labor proposal means lover pay, longer hours for millions of workers.  Washington , DC:  Economic Policy Institute 2003

[4]   Support from the ALA-APA Standing Committee on Salaries and Status of Library Workers, was offered in support of the Harkin Overtime Pay Amendment, September 2003.

Posted by Rob at 05:13 PM |

Proposed Resolution at ALA-APA

This resolution will be proposed in New Orleans for the Allied Professional Association portion of our meeting.  We will only vote on the Resolved phrases, not the other material.  I wanted to make you aware of this.

 

Rob

   RESOLUTION ON
SUPPORT FOR FREEDOM TO FORM UNIONS: THE EMPLOYEE FREE CHOICE ACT

WHEREAS, the right to form a union is a fundamental human right; and

WHEREAS, workers must have freedom to form unions and bargain collectively without employer interference; and

WHEREAS, the United States has a deplorable record with respect to protection of these important rights, as documented by Human Rights Watch;[1] and

WHEREAS, realizing that failure to protect freedom to form unions is exacting a heavy economic, social and political price from workers and communities throughout our nation, including but not limited to suppressed wages, decreased job quality, worsened economic inequality, erosion of support for public education, the unraveling of public and private safety net protections, the denial of justice and democracy in the workplace, and decreased political participation;[2]  and

WHEREAS, realizing that the majority of library employees work in the public sector and therefore are covered by state collective bargaining laws which in many cases are even less protective of workers rights than the National Labor Relations Act; and

WHEREAS, the American Library Association has an established policy within the 2005-2006 ALA Handbook of Organization, ALA Policy Manual, 54. Library Personnel Practices, 54.11 Collective Bargaining which affirms the right of eligible library employees to organize and bargain collectively.

Therefore be it resolved that the American Library Association-Allied Professional Association:

1.      Urges members of Congress to co-sponsor and actively support the Employee Free Choice Act; when adopted, this landmark legislation will provide important, badly needed and long overdue protection for the fundamental human right of America’s workers to form unions and bargain collectively without employer interference; and

2.      Urges the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to refrain from further attacks on workers’ rights, such as new restrictions on voluntary recognition agreements (VRAs); VRAs offer a vital alternative to an NLRB election process that has become a vehicle for employers and anti-union consultants to suppress the freedom to form unions; where libraries are concerned, these agreements also improve library services by reducing conflict during workers’ campaigns to form unions; and

3.      Urges employers in both the public and private sector, especially within libraries and archives but also in all sectors of the economy and throughout the nation, to uphold and respect the fundamental human right of their employees to form unions and bargain collectively.

4.      Adopts the language contained within said ALA Policy 54.11 and adds said language to the APA Policy Handbook as an APA policy statement.
5.      Instructs its staff to send copies of this resolution and policy to the President of the United States, the Secretary of Labor, and every member of Congress and to publicize it through print, online and other media of the Association.


References

1. Human Rights Watch, Unfair Advantage: Workers’ Freedom of Association in the United States Under International Human Rights Standards,  www.hrw.org/reports/2000/uslabor.

2. Larry Mishel, “How Unions Help All Workers,” Economic Policy Institute, August 2003, http://www.epinet.org/content.cfm/briefingpapers_bp143; David Card, “The Effect of Unions on the Structure of Wages: A Longitudinal Analysis,” Econometrica, 1996, Vol. 64, pp. 957-999; “The Effect of Unions on Wage Inequality in the U.S. Labor Market,” Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 2001, Vol. 54, pp. 354-367; and (with Thomas Lemieux and W. Craig Riddell) “Unionization and Wage Inequality: A Comparative Study of the U.S., the U.K., and Canada,” National Bureau of Economic Research, 2003, Working Paper No. 9473;  Institute for Women’s Policy Research, “The Benefits of Unionization for Workers in the Retail Food Industry,” IWPR Publication No. C351, February 2002; and Benjamin Radcliff, “Organized Labor and Electoral Participation in American National Elections,” Journal of Labor Research, Spring 2001.

2005-2006 ALA Handbook of Organization
ALA Policy Manual

54. LIBRARY PERSONNEL PRACTICES

54.10 Collective Bargaining

The American Library Association recognizes the principle of collective bargaining as one of the methods of conducting labor-management relations used by private and public institutions.  The Association affirms the right of eligible library employees to organize and bargain collectively with their employers, or to refrain from organizing and bargaining collectively, without fear of reprisal.

Posted by Rob at 05:08 PM |

June 07, 2006

Additional Boy Scout Information

It is my understanding that ALA currently does not have any formal relationship with the Boy Scouts of America nor is there a BSA member on the ALSC council.  According to several sources on the ALA Council list, ALA has not had a formal relationship with BSA since the passage of the original resolution in the 90's. 

Basically, there is no relationship to sever so this resolution isn't necessary.

If I find out anything different, I will let you know.

Posted by Rob at 11:56 AM |

June 06, 2006

Resolution about Boy Scouts

Here is the language, as proposed, for a resolution that will be presented to Council at ALA in New Orleans.  There has been quite a bit of discussion about this issue.  Many feel that we have already stopped any relationship with the Boy Scouts, so that this resolution is not necessary. 

Based upon your email responses earlier this year, I would vote against this resolution at Council.  Keep in mind, we only vote on the “Resolved” clauses, not the “Whereas” portions.  Whenever possible I will try to bring this information to the blog and get your responses to it.  Thanks.

RESOLUTION ON THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA
WHEREAS the American Library Association (ALA) has had a long official relationship with the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), currently in the form, among other things, of a designated ALSC (Association for Library Service to Children liaison; and
WHEREAS ALA and units may provide bibliographies and other material and services to any organization with or without formal or official affiliation and therefore can continue to do due diligence; and
WHEREAS the BSA continues to exclude persons from membership and leadership on the basis of religious ideas and/or sexual orientation; and
WHEREAS ALA Policy 9.5 specifically prohibits ALA or its component units from having formal relationships with organizations which violate ALAís principles and policies regarding human rights and social justice; and
WHEREAS ALA policies 54/17 and 60.2 declare the Associationís support for gay rights and against creed-based discrimination; therefore be it
RESOLVED that the American Library Association calls upon ALA to suspend formal or official relations with the Boy Scouts of America until such time as the Boy Scouts of America ends its exclusionary policy on the basis of a personís religious beliefs or sexual orientation; and be it further

RESOLVED that the ALA once again strongly urges the Boy Scouts of America to change its membership practices so that they demonstrate a commitment to human rights, inclusiveness and mutual respect before prior relations with us can be restored.

Posted by Rob at 06:26 PM | | Comments (3)

Welcome to the blog

Welcome to the Kansas ALA Councilor blog.  The purpose of this blog is to provide a communication link with the librarians of Kansas about ALA issues. 

Previously, we have communicated via email, which has provided me with a tremendous amount of information from you, but has deprived everyone else from participating in some good discussions.  I see the role of ALA Councilor for Kansas as being very interactive and connected to your thoughts and experiences.  I hope this blog provides another opportunity for us to communicate.  To respond, please click on comments at the bottom of the post and let me know what you think.

I will email to Kanlib-L for the first few blog posts to help facilitate the transfer to the blog.  You may subscribe to Kansas ALA Councilor which I recommend.  This will provide you with an email notification whenever something is posted.

If possible, I will use the blog during ALA to communicate with you on subjects that might be of interest or on issues where I would like your feedback to help me respond in Council. 

As always, I will continue to respond to direct email at rbanks@mail.tscpl.org or to phone calls at 785.580.4481.

Thank you for reading the blog.  Your participation will help me do my job and hopefully you will find the conversation interesting.

Posted by Rob at 12:26 PM | | Comments (3)