"State Library cuts take shape"

Last night Charles Thompson wrote an article for the Penn-Live in which he chronicled the meager results of our all-staff meeting yesterday. The headline is "State Library cuts take shape".

A longer, more detailed, version showed up this morning in the print Harrisburg Patriot-News, and online under the headline "Budget would cut public's access."

Thanks, Mr. Thompson, for getting the word out!

This morning's version includes this:

Library staffers would not comment publicly about Wednesday's meeting, saying they'd been told to direct all press contacts to the Education Department press office. Privately, several confirmed the details of the plan.

Education officials did not respond to requests for comment on the meeting, noting no plans are final until the budget is adopted.

And isn't that last bit part of the problem? Nothing is "final" until the budget bill is passed and the governor signs it. Legally, sure, that's the case. But some people would think that our staff has earned the right for a little decency and respect on this matter. Our lives and careers have been put into limbo since early February because we do not know whether we will have jobs after July 1st.

And, apparently, "education officials" don't care enough to give us more direction than this.

Most of us are 'doing the math,' or trying to, and attempting to figure out if we will be among the 21 who have jobs or the 30 who don't. (as a footnote, did everyone notice how the goal of a 50% reduction in staffing has now slipped to more like a cut of 60%?)

But while we can count up our own seniority, what we can't do is tell whether the state librarian's plans call for 3 techs or 7, for 2 assistants or 5, and so on. All we can really guess is that if we're the most senior person in our classification, we probably have a job; and if we're the most junior, we probably don't.

And that is really a pain. Would it be that difficult for the administration to share its plans for staffing needs with the staff at the State Library of Pennsylvania?

Job at HACC - York Campus

There is a "Reference/Instruction Librarian, Tenure track (12 months)" job posted for the Harrisburg Area Community College York Campus on the HACC web site.

It was posted April 4th. Closing date is April 17th. Desired start date is June 1st.

Advertised salary range: $45,625-61,375.

Don't all rush over there at once!

Is No News Good News?

To answer the title question, we think not.

Last word from the administration was that they would have a hit list (our term, not theirs) prepared and would begin talking to people at "the end of March, beginning of April". The end of March has come and gone. The beginning of April has come and is almost gone.

And still no word on plans for the State Library. No word on who has a job in the new fiscal year and who doesn't.

So, as we hear it, some people are actively looking for work elsewhere.

They, and just about everyone else on the payroll, are more on edge every day.

If people from the administration read this blog, you should know that there's no point in delaying announcements because you are afraid work will suffer. Work is suffering already. People are suffering.

Philadelphia Inquirer on Rolling Furlough Agreement

The Philadelphia Inquirer carries pretty much the same news about forestalling the rolling furloughs in an article today headlined "State, unions reach pact to prevent furloughs" by Angela Couloumbis and Mario F. Cattabiani.

Newspaper Coverage of Latest Deal

The Harrisburg Patriot-News for April 3rd carries a big story about the halt of the rolling furlough proposal.

Headlined Rendell, union leaders broker deal to avoid immediate furloughs and written by Charles Thompson, the story's opening sentence reminds us that "hundreds of workers still could be laid off this year." (That would include at least half of us here at the State Library.)

Because "this year, Gov. Ed Rendell proposed the elimination of more than 2,600 jobs because of the state's worsening finances. Many jobs will be eliminated through attrition, but Rendell has said layoffs might be needed."

That is, "with the Rendell administration projecting a $2.3 billion deficit by the end of the fiscal year on July 1, the deal does little to dim the prospects of pink slips for several hundred workers."

This isn't over by a long shot. But people's attention may well be distracted for the time being. Do what you can to keep the light shining on the decimation of the State Library of Pennsylvania.

No Rolling Furloughs (For Now)

Yesterday's news was that the unions and the governor's people came to an agreement over the rolling furloughs that were threatened recently (those were the ones where we would be forced to take off two unpaid days each month, or very roughly a 10% pay cut).

Here's how it is explained in an email that some of us got from our union:

SEIU 668, AFSCME and UFCW have reached a TENATIVE agreement with the Commonwealth that STOPS the Governor’s threats to impose rolling furloughs. This tentative agreement is dependent on a ratification vote of the unions’ members. The entire tentative agreement will be mailed to each member.

The tentative agreement includes the following:

1. NO rolling furloughs for the remainder of this budget year ending June 30, 2009 and the next budget year ending June 30, 2010. If any other furloughs need to occur, they will be done contractually.

2. A TEMPORARY 20% reduction in the Commonwealth contribution to the PEBTF effective April 2009 up to and including June 2010, to be repaid by the Commonwealth commencing in September 2010 in addition to the contractual obligation. Reserves in the PEBTF will be kept at a 1 month minimum.
If necessary, the Commonwealth will provide sufficient funds to ensure that this minimum. (There are currently 2 months of reserve funds)

3. There will be NO reduction in the level of benefits provided by the PEBTF.

4. There will be ongoing discussions to discuss any and all cost saving ideas, suggestions, and recommendations by the unions.

5. Includes an accelerated dispute resolution that includes arbitration in regards to this agreement.

The governor's press release pats himself on the back for the savings this generates:

Governor Edward G. Rendell today said his administration has reached a tentative agreement with some of the state’s largest employees’ unions that eliminates the immediate need for rolling furloughs of employees in those unions to help close the state’s budget gap.

The agreement to temporarily reduce the commonwealth’s health care benefit contribution rate by 20 percent will generate up to $200 million in savings over the next 15 months. The agreement also assures no changes in health care benefits for employees that are members of participating unions.

“This agreement is truly a win-win for employees and the state,” said Governor Rendell. “The temporary reduction in our health care contribution rate will provide us with enough savings to eliminate the immediate need to consider rolling furloughs for participating unions. This ensures that state government will keep running at the same pace for the people of Pennsylvania.”

The same release ends with these words about our managers (and others throughout state government) whose households are being hit by the state's budget situation:

The Governor has issued a pay freeze for all managers and non-represented employees, including the elimination of two step increments and a general pay increase scheduled to take effect between January 2009 and January 2010, a measure projected to save nearly $140 million through fiscal year 2010/11.

“I sincerely appreciate the incredible sacrifice by the commonwealth’s management and non-union employees and their daily dedication to serving the citizens of Pennsylvania without any increase in their pay,” said Governor Rendell. “These public servants often go unrecognized, but because of their hard work and efforts to continue to do more with less, Pennsylvania is in better shape than many other states.”

Surely, more to follow on all this. Some of us are pretty certain that the 'rolling furlough' ball is going to roll back onto the table before this is all over.

David Hoffman Speaks Out: "Don't close book on state library"

One of the former directors of the State Library of Pennsylvania, David Hoffman, has written a very welcome public indictment of governor Rendell's proposed gutting of the State Library.

In the April 2nd 2009 issue of the Patriot-News, (online here), he explains all the problems that will result - problems both for government and for Pennsylvania's citizens - from the budget slashing Rendell wants. Then Hoffman concludes by pointing out that the Library is administratively in the Pennsylvania Department of Education, and

Its function is certainly an educational one, but with the enormous problems facing public education in Pennsylvania today, the priorities of the department's leadership must be in guiding the school districts as they prepare today's student for the many roles they will choose following formal schooling.

Perhaps now is the time that the General Assembly should consider moving the library from the Department of Education and making it a legislative agency once again.

Now there's an idea! Sort of like the Library of Congress. It is certainly worth exploring (has the current secretary of education even been in the State Library?), though probably it can't happen in the next month or so and save current positions or revive our zeroed out book budget.

PA Library Association Online "Talking Points"

The PaLA has a number of online resources available for talking about the state budget.

The relevant (to us) core of their "Talking Points" is this:

Library users across the Commonwealth will be affected by the devastating 50% cut in the line item for State Library operations. In addition to providing support for legislators and Pennsylvania government officials, the State Library is the agency that collects and preserves material by and about Pennsylvania, including genealogical and local history information.

Other cuts in the Governor’s budget proposal affect important library services such as shared databases (POWER Library), interlibrary loan, and Ask Here PA, the state’s virtual reference service.

Don't legislators already know this stuff? I guess not.

Pages 3 and 4 of their FAQ on the state budget give a series of bullet points that help clarify the damage that will be done at the State Library of Pennsylvania by governor Rendell's proposed budget. Good stuff there! Readers, please send that FAQ to people who will do something helpful with it.

(Of course, there is some silliness in it, too. One of the bullet points answering the question "What does the State Library do for people in my community?" is this:

The Rare Collections Library is a treasure for all Americans and a special source of pride to Pennsylvanians. In 1745, Benjamin Franklin ordered the first volumes of British Law for use by the Pennsylvania Assembly. The collection has grown and includes rare volumes, maps and newspapers. The cost-effective techniques developed in the Rare Book Project and now used to preserve these materials assist local libraries and community organizations to preserve books, maps, pamphlets and other materials that are important to their community pride and history.

Most of us here don't see how this even helps in the Harrisburg community since they can't even get the new rare books room open to the public. Maybe the "cost-effective techniques" part is that if your community spends millions of dollars building along the lines of the model here, moves your books into it, and then closes it up to everyone for a year or more, then you save money by not having to provide any access to it.)

Pennsylvania Library Association Lobbying Help

The Pennsylvania Library Association's Executive Director, Glenn Miller, has sent out a letter (via e-mail on March 31st) to members saying (in part) that:

On PaLA’s behalf, along with our lobbyists from Greenlee Partners and some local librarians, I have been meeting with state senators and state representatives and staff, both in Harrisburg and in the district offices of some legislators. In general, we can conclude several things from these conversations thus far:

1. A number of you have contacted your legislators already and those messages are heard. Many more voices need to be raised.

2. The concerns we express about losing federal LSTA dollars clearly seem to ring true with legislators at a time when Pennsylvania is trying to maximize every dollar from Washington.

3. Legislators recognize the truth in our argument that cutting library funding in the midst of a recession is a really bad idea since libraries are busier than ever serving people hard-hit by this economy.

4. No legislator understands the rationale behind the proposed devastating 50% cut to the State Library.

The bad news is that the economic projections for next year’s state budget suggest that the deficit might be as high as $2.6 billion for Pennsylvania. Since under the constitution, each new state budget is required be balanced, this looming deficit presents a major challenge.

Did you note his point 4?? We, of course, don't understand the rationale, either. And they, of course, have to present a balanced budget. Just because they don't understand the rationale, that doesn't mean they will overturn the proposal. It's a no-win situation.

But thanks, Glenn, anyway. Thanks for trying. Maybe your lobbying will save a few of our jobs and thereby help a few more Pennsylvanians with their information needs.