SIL Employees United will represent non-supervisory staff in community libraries and at the Service Center. 

Our union provides representation for all employees in the bargaining unit and acts as a collective voice in matters related to the workplace, including:

• Contract negotiation and job security 

• Opportunity to weigh in on decisions affecting your job

• Ability to advocate for better wages and benefits

• A formal grievance process when there are insurmountable problems in the workplace, including requesting a union representative be present at any disciplinary meeting

• Advancing commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion

• Securing inclusive, fair, and safe work environments through legislative efforts

• Inclement weather leave, to be used instead of vacation hours when getting to or being at work is unsafe

• Building closures when indoor temperatures hit or are expected to hit 80 degrees for more than an hour

• Increased employee input on scheduling

• 20-hour benefited Page positions

• A hardship fund that grants $400 to members in good standing who are affected by economic downturns

Our union gives us the ability to negotiate a legally binding contract to protect the jobs we love from sudden arbitrary changes related to duties or work locations.

We are the union. We made the decision to form our union. We will decide what priorities to negotiate for and we will elect our own leadership to uphold and enforce the contract. A union is a group of workers coming together to make real change in their workplace regarding their wages, benefits, and working conditions.

By affiliating with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), we join the ranks of 1.4 million members who will stand with us and have access to resources such as legal, negotiating, and lobbying expertise. 

Among those members are over 25,000 fellow public and private library workers across the country. Closer to home, AFSCME Council 2 represents workers at many other library systems in Western Washington, including King County Library System, Seattle Public Library, and Everett Public Library. AFSCME supports workers at libraries, museums, zoos, and other cultural institutions through Cultural Workers United, its national program that brings together staff from around the country to share experiences and raise standards across the cultural sectors. Visit www.culturalworkersunited.org for more information.

It is your right to discuss your working conditions with your colleagues. In-depth conversations should take place during breaks.

You are not required to divulge your opinions about our union.

“No public employer, or other person, shall directly or indirectly, interfere with, restrain, coerce, or discriminate against any public employee or group of public employees in the free exercise of their right to organize and designate representatives of their own choosing for the purpose of collective bargaining, or in the free exercise of any other right under this chapter” (RCW 41.56.040).

Here are a few suggestions for what to say if this happens:

• I’m not interested in talking about this.

• Why do you ask?

• Let’s talk about something else.

By signing a card, you are expressing your support for a union at SIL and authorize dues deduction after we have voted to ratify our first contract.  Find out more about signing your Membership Certification Card here

No. Only our SIL Union Organizing Committee and representatives from AFSCME will know who has signed membership certification cards. AFSCME will not submit cards to the employer until they have been officially designated as our bargaining unit representative. Copies of the cards will be provided to PERC to verify them against a list of employees but the agency will not provide that information to the employer.

You will still be covered by the contract our union negotiates. However, non-members cannot be part of our bargaining committee, vote to ratify our contracts, run for election, or elect officers. We encourage you to join us to strengthen our union and affect the changes you want to see.

Dues are equal to 1.45% of your monthly base salary (a minimum of $18.75 per month to a maximum of $61.75 per month).  Dues will not be collected until after our first contract has been negotiated and ratified.

Dues are an investment in our union.  They are used to pay professional staff to assist in negotiating our contracts. They also provide legal assistance to staff in a grievance process, pay for arbitration as necessary, and lobby state legislature to retain public sector worker rights and benefits, specifically PERS.  Dues paying members are eligible for extra benefits from AFSCME such as free life insurance and college opportunities.

Dues for 2023 are distributed as follows:

• $0 - LIFE INSURANCE: A $10,000 Life Insurance policy is included in your membership at no additional cost through Colonial Life Insurance Company.

• $14.90 AFSCME: This portion of your dues goes to AFSCME, our International Union. AFSCME coordinates efforts across the country, which include research, education, and coordinating federal legislative activity. AFSCME has more than 1.2 million members.

• $.45 (average) COUNTY LABOR COUNCIL: Your county labor council represents you in dealings with city and county officials in matters involving organized labor. (County/councils establish their own dues structures.)

• $3.75 LOCAL: This amount per member is returned to your local to be spent as it sees fit, within restrictions of its constitution and AFSCME's Financial Code. It is used, among other things, to send delegates to the Council's Biennial Conventions and Executive Board/Legislative meetings and to represent the local at other meetings of the Council.

• $.25 LOCAL: This extra amount per member is returned to your local in addition to the amount above, per the Council 2 Constitution.

• Additional balance goes to Council 2: The balance goes to the Washington State Council of County and City Employees, WSCCCE/Council 2, which coordinates activities for over 178 locals throughout the state. The Union represents you at the bargaining table and under the negotiated provisions of your contract. Staff Representatives are available to assist you directly when you have problems. WSCCCE/Council 2 also provides an educational and leadership training program.

No. Under federal law, and many state laws, union dues cannot be used directly to fund political candidates, although they may be used to support some state-level candidates.

AFSCME uses voluntary contributions collected through its PEOPLE program, not dues, to contribute to candidates for federal office and in certain states where other funding is restricted. Upon approval from the membership Council 2 may use dues money to support candidates who support improving public services in Washington state. 

AFSCME makes this information public with IRS and U.S. Department of Labor filings, along with all other information on how union dues are spent.

AFSCME focuses on lobbying in state legislatures to pass or strengthen civil service laws. State-wide lobbying efforts focus on protecting the PERS retirement system, workplace safety, and protecting the workplace rights of union members.

According to RCW 41.56.040, “No public employer, or other person, shall directly or indirectly, interfere with, restrain, coerce, or discriminate against any public employee or group of public employees in the free exercise of their right to organize and designate representatives of their own choosing for the purpose of collective bargaining, or in the free exercise of any other right under this chapter.”

It's very unlikely. Strikes are a tactic typically used as a last resort to help workers pressure their employer. The decision to strike is made locally by you and your fellow workers.

Click here to sign your Membership Certification Card.

Email the organizing committee at snoisleunioninfo@gmail.com or AFSCME Council 2 at c2everett@council2.com.