NEW WESTMINSTER—Library workers in New Westminster have voted overwhelmingly in favour of joining CUPE.
“New Westminster public library workers are a welcome addition to the growing CUPE library sector,” says Heather Inglis, CUPE BC’s library coordinator. “Library services are undergoing change at an unprecedented rate and these workers have chosen to join a union that understands the value of libraries to their community and has the resources to support them now and into the future.”
Prior to joining CUPE public library workers in New Westminster were represented by the New Westminster Public Library (NWPL) Staff Association. The 60 library workers will now join CUPE 387, the local which currently represents municipal workers in New Westminster.
“The NWPL Staff Association acted on members’ behalf for more than 50 years because of the hard work and dedication of many past and current members,” says Chrisanne Pennimpede, president of the NWPL Staff Association. “However, within our library, and in the library world at large, there has been rapid workplace change, and a corresponding increase in the complexity of labour-management relations. We believe the decision to join CUPE 387, an organization which enjoys a good relationship with the City of New Westminster, will prove to be the best choice for our members moving forward.”
