Local 1215 - CPL Employees Union

May Day is this Friday. We are encouraging our members to put on AFSCME green and take action together to improve our working conditions, to demand fully funded public services, and against attacks on working people everywhere. Meet us at Union Park on May 1st at Ogden and Randolph to march with other workers from around Chicagoland, the country, and the world.

Nbd - just a library worker opening the windows in November because it's too hot indoors. Oh, and some thermostats showing 81 and 88 degrees inside in January and November... yes, in Chicago!

The City relies on libraries to be heating and cooling centers, but several libraries have been so hot, patrons immediately leave and stop coming. Last summer a library branch faced heat and humidity so high, the floors never dried after they were mopped.

Don't forget that library work is physical - shelving books, conducting story times and high energy programs, processing holds, etc. Very few of these issues have been fixed for the long term. Could you do this work in 80+ degree temperatures for weeks, even months, with no end in sight?

Last year AFSCME Council 31 shared a report about the ongoing health and safety emergency in Chicago Public Libraries, providing a snapshot into our working conditions. 🔗 The link is in our bio - check it out for a bigger glimpse into facilities and safety issues at the library. You might see more anonymously submitted posts about library facilities as we get into real summer, too. Stay tuned! - xoxo library worker 📖

TOMORROW!! Come to Union Coffee Break, this Sunday, 4/12/26! We will have swag for May Day and lots of camaraderie. Remember, our eboard/steward members also attend UCB to hear from our members. You can also just take a coffee or food item to-go. Take a break, a union coffee break 😎☕️

Whether or not you plan to march, you are invited to help make banners, signs, and other art for May Day! Sunday 4/12 open to all, and on the 29th during our members-only After-ASID celebration 🎉

4/12 ART BUILD
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Location: 3348 W. 25th St.
Details: Come solo or bring your family. Also open to other AFSCME Local members and cultural workers.

AFTER-ASID ART-MAKING
Date and time: 4/29, 5 - 7:30 p.m.
Location:  After-ASID, Buddy Guy’s Legends
Details: Local 1215 members only. RSVP by April 20th via links in the newsletter.

On Friday 3/27/26 our members unanimously passed this resolution titled, “AFSCME Local 1215 Day of Civic Action-May Day”. Library workers are showing that Chicago truly is a union town and the city that launched May Day. Also known as International Workers Day, it is celebrated around the world. This year we are calling on Mayor Brandon Johnson and CPL Commissioner Chris Brown to join us in recognizing this day for workers, close the libraries while we demand no more business as usual. Read the resolution above and stay tune for teach-ins, film screenings, media literacy, and art programs to defend ourselves and our communities.

today! today!! 1215's first happy hour of the year! come through 🥂

At the end of January, the members of Local 1215 voted to support the efforts of sibling unions, community organizations, and candidates for political office at all levels that are working towards the goal of abolishing ICE. We oppose any endorsement by AFSCME who voted to "thank ICE" last year. We also demand our representatives support the “Melt ICE” Act introduced to Congress by Illinois Representative Delia Ramirez, and that Council 31 refuse to support any candidate that votes in favor of increasing ICE’s funding. 🔗 Please visit the link in our bio to read our full statement.

THIS SUNDAY! two days from now! first coffee break of 2026. see you there, members (& represented colleagues)!

On MLK Day, library workers know that it takes words and action to express solidarity. That is why we must seize the opportunity to express our solidarity with our union siblings. We stand with workers that are baring the brunt of racist terror and an attack on all workers, unionized or not. But especially our fierce siblings that fight and stand up for our communities, like the Chicago Teachers Union.

Context: CTU submitted five years of financial documentation to the US House Education & Workforce Committee. They are complying with a request that is part of a right-wing attack against public education. CTU fights for their students, especially students who are q***r, trans, Black, Latinx, and/or immigrants - the exact students that the Trump administration is attacking. AFSCME Local 1215 stands with as they push back against this political stunt and continue to protect their students.

An injury to one is an injury to all!