The library continues to drag its feet on bringing the payroll errors grievance- where 200 Local 1482 members have not been paid correctly for years- to a resolution.  The time for stalling and excuses ​has passed.

To show solidarity with affected members, and to demonstrate our power, we invite Local 1482 members to wear Pay Us What We Are Owed buttons.  Please contact President Olken or members of the Executive Board to have buttons sent to you to distribute at your work locations.  

We have prepared talking points that outline the pay errors grievance and why it matters. These will assist you in having informed conversations with your coworkers, answering patron questions, and more.  The talking points are listed below, but you can also find a printable PDF and an image file of the button on this page.

Why We’re Wearing “Pay Us What We’re Owed” Buttons 

What’s Happening 
● Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) pays nearly 200 clerical workers and custodians below contractual minimums.
● These union workers have faced years of payroll errors amounting to more than $250,000 in annual underpayment.
● Many workers are still receiving inaccurate paychecks every pay period—two years after filing our first grievance and despite repeated meetings with BPL administration. 
● This affects multiple job titles and has led to serious financial and emotional hardship for workers. 

Why WE Matter 
● BPL staff are essential community workers—helping Brooklynites access job resources, providing exceptional programming, helping patrons navigate our technology and digital resources—the list goes on. 
● Library staff continue to serve with dedication—despite being denied fair compensation. 
● These workers show up every day—but are not being paid correctly for their work. 
● When payroll issues go unresolved, the stability of library services—and our communities—is at risk! 

How You Can Help 
● Speak up: Let BPL administration and Elected Leaders know that the public cares—library workers deserve fair pay.
● Show support: A simple “I support you” goes a long way.

Dear Library Workers,

Please join us anytime from 11 AM to 2:30 PM on April 28th for a city-wide day of canvassing to Keep NYC Libraries open. Organized by library unions and Urban Librarian Unite, we'll be speaking with neighbors, defending universal 6-day service, and advocating to keep our libraries fully, safely staffed. 

If city budget cuts are not restored, some libraries will lose even Saturday services, which workers will be reassigned to cover for understaffing across the system. Communities with closed branches miss their beloved library workers. Together we can fight back!

You can join library workers from all three systems at any of these three branches: Bedford in Brooklyn, Melrose in the Bronx, or Broadway in Queens. RSVP here!

Local 1482 calls on all of our members to take part in our Day of Action on Wednesday, June 20. The date is around the time the Supreme Court is expected to issue its ruling in the Janus vs. AFSCME case, a decision which could subject public sector unions like ours to ‘right to work’ laws that could over time lower wages, strip benefits, and stifle the collective voices of workers.


On June 20th, we ask that members of Local 1482  wear a green DC37 t-shirt to work, which will be provided to you for free. Uniformed members who cannot wear the t-shirt, such as Custodians and Special Officers, should instead display a green DC37 pen in the front pockets of your uniform shirts.  

By wearing the t-shirts and pens, we as members of Local 1482 and DC37 will demonstrate visually that our branches and agencies are staffed by people who belong to a public sector union, that we are committed to retaining our ability to represent the rights and interests of our members, and that we stand in fellowship and solidarity of unionized workers nationwide.

As part of the Day of Action, Local 1482 will also provide members with information on signing up for Local 1482 Shop Steward training, contributing to PEOPLE (AFSCME’s fund to support political candidates who support and understand the needs of working families), and participating in Local 1482 events and activities.

A flyer for the Day of Action is located here.  Please print it out, display it, and share this information widely with your colleagues.  Encourage everyone to participate! Our collective power is built member-by-member, action-by-action.

If you have any questions or feedback about the Day of Action, please email us at [email protected].  Or reach out to a member of the Executive Board.  We will also have more information and will answer questions at the General Membership Meeting on June 5th.  

We will continue to post updates about the Day of Action.  Keep an eye on this space. We'll also provide answers to your questions in the FAQ below.

Day of Action FAQ
Do I need to order a shirt (or pen) myself?  No, we have you covered!  We will provide green DC37 t-shirts for all of our members, and they will be delivered (along with pens for uniformed titles) the first week of June to your branches and work locations.

All Local 1482 Members in the Custodian title are encouraged to attend a special meeting on Thursday, March 31st at 6 pm at the Brooklyn Heights Branch.  At this meeting we will address the matter of--and answer questions about--the Custodian re-organization under the Department of Public Safety, especially as it relates to schedules and work assignments. 

Even if you are not a Custodian, please help us spread the word about this important meeting.  Refreshments will be available. 

So far 442 members of Local 1482 have added their names to our online petition which asks the library to stop requiring staff to sign out and in for meal breaks by de-activating that feature in SumTotal.  Are you one of them?  If not, we urge you to add your name to the list. 

Getting over 400 signatures is a fantastic achievement, and thank you to all who have already signed.  However, we believe we can can get more names and that the petition will carry more weight with library administration if we can do so. 

Will you help us get to 700 signatures?  If you haven't signed already, please do so.  If you have, reach out to your friends and colleagues and ask them to sign.  Here's the direct URL you can share with them:  https://www.coworker.org/petitions/brooklyn-public-library-don-t-make-us-clock-out-for-meal-breaks.

Thank you for again doing your part!  Staff shouldn't have to choose between signing out and in properly and helping library users.  Supervisors should not have to spend inordinate amounts of time reconciling Sum Total records for their direct reports.  Let's do all we can to make the collective voice of Local 1482 on this issue difficult to ignore.