Penn Libraries support staff ratify three-year union contract with University

Penn Libraries’ support staff union reached its latest contract with the University earlier this month.

The two parties came to a tentative agreement on Sept. 14, which workers ratified as a three-year contract just over a week later. While bargaining is complete for support staff, other workers who are part of Penn Libraries United are still negotiating for their first contract.

The two units are represented by the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees Local 590. According to Local 590 President Yvonne Harris, the new contract features “several big wins, including the ability of members of 590 to request and be approved for hybrid work schedules” — which previously was not an option.

“The contract also provides protections against members being laid off or jobs being lost due to AI or technological changes,” Harris wrote in a statement.

A University spokesperson wrote in a statement that the agreement “reflects what we can accomplish when we work together toward our shared goal of supporting our students and advancing Penn’s educational and research mission.”

“Penn is grateful to everyone whose dedication and hard work made possible the ratification of a new collective bargaining agreement with Penn Libraries support staff,” the spokesperson added. 

Harris emphasized that Local 590 plans to “continue to put pressure on the University to reach a tentative agreement with PLU.”

“We look forward to our union siblings also receiving a fair contract,” she wrote.

Penn Libraries support staff have been unionized since 1969. According to their previous contract, job categories in the bargaining unit include library clerk, head of stacks, library assistant, systems technician, archival specialist, and building superintendent.

In 2024, Penn Libraries United workers voted to unionize and join support staff in Local 590. The new unit — which includes “librarians, curators, developers, archivists, conservators, educators, makers, and more” — has been negotiating for a contract since February 2025.

The support staff unit’s five-year contract was initially set to expire on July 1, but was extended to the end of the month amid ongoing negotiations. Bargaining continued without an active contract for a month and a half before they secured the tentative agreement.

Under the old contract, all support staff received yearly salary increases ranging from 2.75% to 3%. They also received incremental increases based on their years of service.

According to Penn Libraries United’s website, that pay structure is one of its “greatest motivators for organizing and a model we hope to emulate in our new contract.”

Penn Libraries United continues to negotiate with administrators over pay. Last week, the union filed an unfair labor practices charge against Penn over the alleged proposal and withdrawal of a one-time $1,200 payment during bargaining.

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