May 1 marks May Day, or International Workers’ Day. Following on the heels of last week’s celebration of National Library Workers Day, your Union is proud to observe the day with treats that will soon arrive via totes from Preston. Thanks to all of you for your year-round hard work!
Welcome Our New Vice President!
We are more than thrilled to announce that Aisha Burrell, a PSA floater in the Alder region will be our new Vice President. She has been our past secretary and current PSA-at-Large for the executive board. Aisha has been a longtime Union member and steward. Aisha is working to restart the listening sessions as well as other VP duties. So be on the lookout for further information as to dates and times for these meetings. They will be held via Zoom.
We have a Page-at-Large position open. If anyone has questions about what this position entails, or is willing to volunteer, please reach out to me or another Board member. We are always happy to have more new faces in an active role in our Union. Typically the position is one where you are available for the monthly E-Board or General Membership meetings.
Want to Go to Spokane?
June 8th through the 11th is Council 2’s 56th Biennial Convention taking place in Spokane at the Davenport Grand Hotel in downtown Spokane. This convention is an important one as we will be electing the Executive Director for Council 2, along with considering a number of other proposals for how the whole of our umbrella union works. At our General Membership Meeting in May we will elect delegate members to attend. If you are interested in attending the convention, please attend the May 5th meeting so that you can be present for further information. 1857 does reimburse for travel, hotel and other per diem costs for those who attend.
For Women’s History Month, Let’s Celebrate Women’s Contributions to Labor (With Some Books!)
March is Women’s History Month, a time to highlight and honor women’s contributions to history, culture and society . This year’s theme is “Women Who Tell Stories,” which recognizes “women, past and present, who have been active in all forms of media and storytelling including print, radio, TV, stage, screen, blogs, podcasts, news, and social media.”
As library employees, we have a special role in preserving and sharing women’s stories and achievements. One of these stories is the history of women in labor, which is often missing from textbooks and the media.
Women have always been key to the labor movement, from organizing strikes and unions, to rallying for better working conditions and wages, to documenting and inspiring workers’ struggles for justice. For Women’s History Month, Council 2 compiled a list [PDF] of recommended reading to help expand our appreciation for the under-valued roles women have played in history.
Below is a list of recommended reading from Council 2 highlighting the role of women in history, with links to the KCLS catalog:
- The Firebrand and the First Lady: Portrait of a Friendship: Pauli Murray, Eleanor Roosevelt, and the Struggle for Social Justice (2017) by Patricia Bell-Scott
- Freedom’s Daughters: The Unsung Heroines of the Civil Rights Movement from 1830 to 1970 (2002) by Lynne Olson
- The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II (2014) by Denise Kiernan
- The Good Girls Revolt: How the Women of Newsweek Sued their Bosses and Changed the Workplace (2016) by Lynn Povich
- Headstrong: 52 Women Who Changed Science-and the World (2015) by Rachel Swaby
- Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race (2016) by Margot Lee Shetterly
- Out to Work: A History of Wage-Earning Women in the United States (2003) by Alice Kessler-Harris
- Triangle: The Fire That Changed America (2004), by David Von Drehle
- The Unfinished Revolution: Voices from the Global Fight for Women’s Rights (2012) ed. Minky Worden
- Wheels of Change: How Women Rode the Bicycle to Freedom (With a Few Flat Tires Along the Way) (2017) by Sue Macy
- With Courage and Cloth: Winning the Fight for a Woman’s Right to Vote (2004) by Ann Bausum
- Women in Pacific Northwest (1989) by Karen Blair
The following books are ones that KCLS does not own, but you can request through Interlibrary Loan (Hi! 👋That’s the department where I work! We welcome your requests!):
- Song of the Stubborn One Thousand: The Watsonville Canning Strike, 1985-87 (2016) by Peter Shapiro
- Jailed for Freedom: American Women Win the Vote (1995) by Doris Stevens
- Labor of Love, Labor of Sorrow: Black Women, Work, and the Family, from Slavery to the Present (2009) by Jacqueline Jones
Happy Women’s History Month!
Council 2 Scholarship Deadline is Fast Approaching
Attention Local 1857 members!
If you or your dependents are planning to pursue higher education this year, don’t miss the opportunity to apply for Council 2 scholarships. Last year, Council 2 awarded over $65,000 in memory of our late Local 1857 member Jennie Westlund, in addition to other awards. The deadline for submitting your applications is March 15th, so hurry up and get them in!
Council 2 offers a variety of scholarships to support our members and their families in achieving their academic goals. This year, there are nearly 30 scholarships for members in good standing and their dependents.
For more information and the application form, visit the Scholarship page at Council 2.
Remember your application form must be postmarked no later than March 15th in order to be eligible.