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Main Unit Final Offer

View the full final offer from KCLS for the main unit contract.

View the summary of changes for the main unit offer.

After 11 months of bargaining, KCLS and Local 1857 did not reach agreement on wages or medical benefits.  The offer you are voting on includes KCLS’ final offer on those two topics.  The bargaining committee feels that these proposals are too much of a takeaway, and will open the door to even more drastic changes to benefits in future years.  We are recommending that the membership vote no on this offer.

Join our online discussion

If you are interested in an online discussion list with other members of Local 1857, join the Watercooler. The list is open to all members in good standing. Sign up by sending an e-mail to 1857-watercooler+subscribe@googlegroups.com

To send an e-mail to the list, use 1857-watercooler@googlegroups.com

Watercooler Etiquette

The Watercooler is a general discussion list for any member of Local 1857. Topics related to our local and union, libraries, and labor are welcome.

Topics should be of interest to a broad section of the list. If you have an individual concern or issue, please contact our staff representative or your shop steward directly. The Watercooler is not the place to send questions about a specific grievance or disciplinary meeting.

Remember you are interacting with people. Because you only see letters stringing across a screen, it is easy to forget or ignore that a person sits on the other side of the network. Always remember behind every e-mail address is another person.

Make subject lines descriptive. People should have a flavor of the message from glancing at the subject line. “Hello,” is not as good as, “Changes in Library 2 Go Schedule.”

Sign your messages. We have close to 1000 members working in 50 locations, and it’s helpful to know who someone is and where they work.

Be prudent with speculation. On the Internet, rumor can grow extravagant and spread like fire. Remarks beginning with, “I have a feeling that …” or, “I think that …” are usually suspect.

Be cautious with humor and sarcasm. Typed language is naturally colder than spoken language, because it is stripped of voice inflections and body language. Quite easily, humor can be taken as insult, especially if subtle. Some users prefer to use symbols that hint at tone, such as the smiley face:🙂 It is safest to frankly note satirical messages.

E-mail lists are as good, and only as good, as the subscribers make them. Lists work best when intelligent people bring fresh knowledge and ideas to the table. New ideas can stimulate discussion. Trivial or inane comments often kill discussion. Write meaty, thoughtful things and everyone will benefit from the list.