Enoch Pratt Free Library Workers Ratify Historic First Union Contract

Agreement includes $1,000 ratification bonus, health and safety improvements, anti-discrimination protections, and expanded workplace rights for over 300 library workers 

Baltimore — On Friday, August 1, workers across the city’s Enoch Pratt Free Library (EPFL) system voted nearly 99% in favor of ratifying their first union contract. After nearly two years of negotiations with the library system’s management, Pratt Workers United, AFSCME Maryland Council 3 reached a tentative agreement in late June. 

Workers announced their intentions to organize with AFSCME in June 2022. Friday’s successful vote represents a final step towards securing a union contract that contains provisions regarding wage increases, health and safety improvements, and expanded workplace rights for the library system’s workers.  

Highlights of the new contract include: 

• A $1,000 ratification bonus for both part-time and full-time employees, 
• A provision to negotiate wages for FY26 following AFSCME’s negotiations for other municipal employees 
• A transparent process for handling building closures and employee transfers 
• Health and safety protections, including the implementation of quarterly Health and Safety Committee meetings with workers and management
• And protections against discrimination at work.  

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 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 that have unionized with AFSCME Maryland in recent years as part of AFSCME’s Cultural Workers United program, including workers at the Anne Arundel County Public Library, Baltimore Museum of Art, Howard County Library System, and the Walters Art Museum.

“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 Masetsaba Woodland, a Librarian at the Central Library location. 

“It’s about time my coworkers and I have a formal agreement that guarantees we have a voice on the job and puts us on fair terms with management. 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,” said Dominic Serino, an Office Technician at the Central Library location. 

“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,” said Josie Breck, a Library Associate at the Central Library location.

“Our union contract is the foundation in building a strong union culture here at the Enoch Pratt Free 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,” said Neil Jones, a Network Engineer at the Central Library Location.

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About AFSCME Maryland Council 3 
AFSCME Maryland Council 3 represents nearly 50,000 public service workers in local, city, county and state government as well as in higher education and the private sector who provide the valuable public services that our communities rely on. From Western Maryland to the Eastern Shore, we make Maryland happen.