Delaware County United Library Staff Ratify First Contract

For Immediate Release 
March 18, 2026 
Contact: Neil Bhaerman, nbhaerman@oft-aft.org

Delaware County United Library Staff Ratify First Contract

DELAWARE, OHIO — Librarians and other workers at Delaware County District Library (DCDL) have finalized their first union contract following ratification votes by union members and the DCDL Board of Trustees. Members of the union, Delaware County United Library Staff (DCULS), voted overwhelmingly in favor of ratification last week and the DCDL Board voted in favor of the agreement at their meeting on March 17. The contract makes huge gains on the issues that motivated library staff to form their union, including extending benefits to part-time employees and providing competitive wages and longevity bonuses to attract and retain staff. 

“Our libraries should be places where we can stay, build a career, and be rewarded for our experience. Before we organized our union, we didn’t have the voice to fight for what was needed and the benefits to attract and retain staff,” said Kristen Vogel, a part-time Adult Services Specialist at the Orange Branch who served on the union’s bargaining committee. “The gains we made in our first union contract are changing this dynamic so that staff will be able to stay in the libraries we love.” 

The contract includes guaranteed raises of 9% (for employees with a Master of Library and Information Science degree) and 11% (for the remainder of employees) over the life of the three-year contract. The first year’s raise (3% for MLIS, 5% for remaining employees) is retroactive to January 1, 2026. Employees who have been at DCDL for at least two years will also receive a longevity bonus of an additional $0.25 to $1.25 per hour, depending on their length of service.

The new contract will extend vacation and paid holidays to part-time employees, start every part-time employee with 40 hours of vacation time, and improve sick day accrual for part-time employees. The agreement also creates new benefits for all employees: paid parental leave, bereavement leave, and tuition reimbursement.

“Part-time employees are essential to our library system’s operations, but up until now we’ve been shut out of important benefits,” said Carrie Coyne, a part-time Adult Services Specialist at the Liberty Branch. “We fought for equitable benefits for part-time workers because every employee — new or old, part-time or full-time, with or without a master’s degree —  should be respected and compensated fairly.”

With their new union contract, library workers will be able to raise issues through a new labor management committee, a collaborative space where the union and library can continue to work together to solve or prevent problems in the workplace.

Employees also won “just cause” and progressive discipline protections, which ensure that employees are only terminated for just cause that is consistent with the contract and workplace policies and provide employees with opportunities for job performance improvement for less serious infractions. Provisions of the contract are enforceable through a binding grievance and independent arbitration process. 

“We’re dedicated to our libraries and we’re looking forward to building a refreshed, productive relationship with management once our contract is in place,” said Paige Wietzel, an Outreach Associate at the Orange Branch who served on the union’s bargaining committee. “When workers have a voice in the policies that affect our workplace, everyone benefits.”

DCULS is part of a regional wave of library worker organizing with the Ohio Federation of Teachers that began in 2021 with Worthington Public Libraries United. In addition to Worthington, library workers have also formed unions in Grandview Heights, Pickerington, Upper Arlington, and Athens County. Currently, workers at the Columbus Metropolitan Library are awaiting their union election. DCULS is the fourth of these unions to ratify their first contract. 

"Congrats to the workers at Delaware County District Library. Since our first union contract at Worthington Libraries went into effect in 2023, we've used our union voice to make workplace, pay, and scheduling improvements and stand up for our patrons and ourselves,” said Libby Vasey, an Adult Services Librarian at Worthington Park Library and President of Worthington Public Libraries United. “This has helped us retain talented and skilled workers and find mutually beneficial solutions to difficult issues in our workplace."

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