OCPL Safety Update: Stewards Needed at Each Branch!

Dear OCEA member,

OCEA members have contacted us with multiple safety concerns OC Public Library locations. The concerns include drug use and overdoses by unhoused members of our community, verbal abuse by patrons, and even death threats to staff.

As a result, we have intensified our efforts to convince OCPL management to collaborate with us and establish a Labor Management Committee—a committee where labor and management come together to address important agency issues in a constructive, solution-oriented way.

We have successfully implemented LMCs at several County agencies and they successfully accomplished sustainable, long-term workplace improvements that benefit workers and the County.

We also want to proactively request that at least one OCEA member at each branch volunteer to become an OCEA Steward. Stewards are the eyes and ears of OCEA in the workplace. As a Steward, you would serve a dual role—keeping OCEA staff informed about your workplace and keeping your co-workers updated on OCEA’s activity relevant to their safety, security, and other workplace issues.

If you would like to assume a critical role that will benefit yourself and your co-workers by becoming an OCEA Steward, please contact OCEA Labor Relations Specialist Louie Gurrola (lgurrola@ocea.org) or OCEA Senior Organizer Alisha Greene (agreene@ocea.org).

We’ll update you on progress towards establishment of an LMC as soon as we have news, but in the meantime please GET INVOLVED and become an OCEA Steward!

In Solidarity,

OCEA 

Publication Date: September 18, 2023