The State Library of Oregon is one of SEIU 503’s smallest sublocals, but we are lucky to have a healthy 84% membership rate and regular Labor Management Committee meetings. This strong infrastructure was put to the test recently when SLO staff were caught off guard by a sudden announcement that 10 of the agency’s 40 staff members would be facing layoffs at the end of November.

A little backstory: The State Library’s Division of Library Support and Development Services provides grant funding, resources, and consulting to libraries across Oregon. This division leverages public funds to empower local libraries to invest in their communities. Staff have strong ties to the Oregon library community, and the agency even won an award from the Oregon Library Association in 2021 for the support it provided during the COVID pandemic.

Each year the State Library receives approximately $2.6 million in Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) federal funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to support this work. The recent federal government shutdown disrupted the agency’s ability to access these funds and created a funding shortfall meaning it could not meet December’s payroll obligations.

Management informed staff that the solution for this funding gap was to layoff ten workers in the Library Support Division. While the possibility of an extended shutdown was widely anticipated, staff were only alerted to this solution three weeks before the intended layoff date, which happened to be during the Thanksgiving holiday.

Ten positions may not seem like much compared to some state agencies, but at the State Library this would have resulted in a catastrophic loss of services to Oregon libraries, and would have impacted up to four other positions in the agency. The disruptive nature of the layoff process takes a lot of time (and money!) to undo if funding is restored. Despite the promise to recall staff to their existing positions, the situation created a sense of insecurity and stress among a dedicated group of staff as well as uncertainty about how the agency’s statutorily-required services could continue.

With support from SEIU staff, sublocal leadership requested a meeting with the Labor Relations Unit under Article 70, Section 13 of the CBA to discuss alternative options to layoffs. This meeting revealed more details about the agency director’s exploration of some of these options, including efforts to cover costs via private sector donations. This raised additional questions about the State’s strategy to address federal funding shortfalls, even in temporary circumstances like the shutdown.

Luckily, layoffs are currently being avoided at the agency. Firstly because of a donation pledged by the Oregon Library Association, and by the reopening of the federal government. However, federal funding remains unstable, and we may face similar situations in the coming months. We feel empowered to have been able to use our CBA to learn more about management’s plans to address this crisis, and are now better prepared to organize and advocate for stronger transparency and planning for the future.