[Madalin]

My employer (public library) has just decided to add one additional hour to the work week (open 4 hours on a Sunday instead of 3). Part-time staff (under 37 1/2 hrs, our "regular" week) get paid for that additional hour. Full-timers don't (tight budget, overtime not allowed) but must then take those hours off during the following week (not easy, as most of our "business"/programs take place during the week). The Board also wants us to have more programming during the week (now with fewer people/hours to run them).

Is there any recourse for people who were hired for a 3-hr. Sunday (who suddenly must arrange to work an additional Sunday hour)? Can we refuse without losing our jobs? (No input from staff re: adding hour.) Or be paid for that additional hour? We have <50 employees.

[ebaines]

I am assuming that the employees are non-exempt (i.e. not management, paid by the hour as opposed to on salary). In this case they must pay for hours worked, end of story. It seems that management's solution is to add an hour on Sunday and remove an hour on a weekday, so the total hours worked per week hasn't changed - is that right? There isn't any recourse, other than find another job that has hours you like better.

[Wondergirl]

I was in Illinois libraries for 30 years. At one of them (25 or so PT and FT employees), I started a volunteer corps that we trained to help with processing of new materials, shelf reading and inventory, and special needs like helping out with our homebound program and at library-sponsored programs. Would something like that alleviate stress on the paid staff at your library?

(Welcome to this site! You're the first lIL library employee I've seen here since I joined five years ago. Are you in MLS or DLS?)

[joypulv]

Changes to what days you must work are allowed without recourse. It seems clear from what you say here that you are not being assigned more hours per week, just that this new schedule makes work more difficult. This is happening across the nation, public and private, large and small. If I were you I would like it or expect to be replaced.

[Madalin]

I'm not in MLS or DLS---for the past year or so there have only been 3 library systems (including Chicago/MLS in Illinois---due to budget cuts & the dire state of the state). Mine used to be NSLS--now it's RAILS (Reaching Across Illinois Library System).That said, our experience with volunteers hasn't been good---unreliable, and only kids 14 through high school can volunteer. Adults would need to be background checked---too expensive, thus, no adult volunteers! (I "only" have 6 years 'til full Social Security benefits... my pension isn't enough... MAYBE I'll live that long.)

[Madalin]

Oh, you haven't told ME anything new. Working over 20 years in a job means nothing anymore (so much for loyalty). That's OK---maybe they'll fire me and I can go on unemployment like my do-nothing brother-in-law who hasn't worked in a couple of years (just doesn't want to, anymore). If I can keep it up 'til at least age 62 (not that far away), I can get Soc. Sec... and OBAMACARE! (Maybe I'll try to be let go now---it would save me stress, and I'd probably live longer, too!) Don't think I' kidding---there's not much left to look forward to, why spend the time I have left at a job where I'm not really valued? (I pay the same taxes for my own "employment" as anyone else in my town. )

[Wondergirl]

I'm not in MLS or DLS---for the past year or so there have only been 3 library systems (including Chicago/MLS in Illinois---due to budget cuts & the dire state of the state). Mine used to be NSLS--now it's RAILS (Reaching Across Illinois Library System).That said, our experience with volunteers hasn't been good---unreliable, and only kids 14 through high school can volunteer. Adults would need to be background checked---too expensive, thus, no adult volunteers! (I "only" have 6 years 'til full Social Security benefits...my pension isn't enough...MAYBE I'll live that long.)

I've been retired from an MLS library for three years now, so am out of the loop -- used to be 17 systems, then 12, and now down to THREE? Yeah, we were getting to the volunteer background-check thing, but our director was lazy and never got it going when I was there. From 1993 on, I had average of 25 volunteers who worked hard for us, but now that I'm gone (and the goalposts have moved), I think that library has only a half dozen or fewer volunteers. I was even in charge of six to ten court-ordered community service workers who always worked hard for us keeping the library clean (did stuff the custodial people refused to do). How the world has turned! Glad I'm not there to see all the changes and thank goodness was vested in IMRF because of eight years FT library work along the way. Library boards always seemed to be clueless, and apparently still are.

You have my total sympathy.

[Fr_Chuck]

You can do nothing but do the new hours or quit, There is no recourse.