Octopus with just four arms, but just as many tools.

20th Anniversary of Local 1857-F: A Milestone for KCLS Workers

Jason Allen

This year is a pretty major milestone for our union family over here in 1857, as we celebrate the TWENTIETH anniversary of Local 1857-F! But their historic impact on the organization goes back even further.

In the the early ‘90s, maintenance workers in Facilities became the very first group of employees at King County Library System to organize. Their courage established a new tradition of labor solidarity and advocacy within our system under the AFSCME / Council 2 banner of Local 1652-LM.

Then in 2006, recognizing that workers are stronger when standing together as one, the members of Local 1652-LM voted to disband and integrate into the much larger union of KCLS workers formed just a few years earlier as Local 1857. When the pages joined up with 1857-M and 1857-F just a year later, Local 1857 became one of the largest unions under Council 2.

After 20 years of 1857-F, we all owe a great debt of gratitude to the courage and effort of the workers in Facilities for bringing union representation to KCLS for the first time. Thank you for your continued hard work in keeping our system running, and for your enduring commitment to solidarity.

Happy 20th Anniversary, 1857-F!

Many faces in various computer screens having fun at a Local 1857 union meeting

Reminder: Union Listening Session Tomorrow

Jason Allen

Just a reminder that the listening session is tomorrow, September 14th at 7:15pm!

These are great opportunities to bring any issues, questions or concerns to your union because the only way union leadership is able to address issues is if they hear about them. This has been such a successful and effective format that our friends down at the Multnomah County Library System have used it as a model for their own!

Reminder that these sessions are open to all dues paying members of our union. If that doesn’t include you yet, you can easily join to strengthen both your voice AND the voice of the union itself.

Please look in your inbox for the message sent from c2everett@council2.com on Friday, August 28th for a link to the Zoom meeting.

Not able to make tomorrow’s event? Be sure to check out our calendar for other opportunities!

Don’t Stay on the Sidelines

Jason Allen

Checking your work email this week revealed those rarest of occurrences: a staff-wide email from our local union through official work channels. And coupled with the message from HR a few days later confirming that they’re working with our union to address scheduling concerns? A very big week for the often invisible nature of our union’s work!

As you likely noticed in the message from the president of Local 1857-S, the opportunity to share health insurance priorities and preferences was limited to members in good standing only. This isn’t about being exclusionary, but about the people sitting at the bargaining table fighting for the specific interests and priorities that membership voted on.

If you haven’t joined your union yet, you don’t need to stay on the sidelines. You can join today and add your voice to the chorus of your colleagues and help determine our path forward.

Have questions? Find your local steward, or you can email the executive board at eboard@kclsvoice.org.

Join Local 1857 Today

Health Insurance Survey Due Tomorrow

Jason Allen

Your union needs to hear from you!

A survey was sent out yesterday seeking your input, feedback and priorities about your health care coverage. Feedback to this survey is very important in establishing what your priorities are and determining critical opportunities for advocacy.

Check your email for a message from c2everett@council2.com sent yesterday evening for a link to the survey.

Please fill out the survey by 8am tomorrow, Thursday, September 10th. But due to the extremely tight deadline, submissions will be allowed after that time, as well.

Happy Labor Day, Library Workers!

Jason Allen

Labor Day isn’t just a great time to buy a new household appliance because of killer deals, it’s also an opportunity to reflect and honor those workers who fought for the rights that we see as bog standard today. Fair wages, safe workplaces, and even the right to form a labor union are all treated as normal expectations in 2026, but they all came about because workers organized, spoke up, and supported one another.

The mission of those workers who rejected complacency and took action is carried on and advanced every day by our own library staff. At a time when libraries across the country are faced with chronic understaffing, wages that don’t keep up with inflation, and attacks on the very idea of libraries themselves, our membership remains committed to fighting for the safety, respect, and staffing levels that our communities deserve.

The labor movement isn’t just something from the late 19th Century. It’s something that we are all a part of. Happy Labor Day to everyone who makes libraries possible through both their skilled labor and their commitment to solidarity!

Hope to see you at the next scheduled Listening Session next Monday, September 14, 2026 at 7:15 PM. It’s open to all 1857 members. The Zoom link was sent to your personal email from C2everett with the subject “Local 1857 Missive for August 28, 2026.” If you cannot find the link please contact eboard@kclsvoice.org.