intertext

For two days in a row now, I have driven by my closest branch library on my way home from outings with Robinson. Both times, I spotted two rather forlorn looking picketers, and both times I honked loudly and waved. The picketers beamed at me and waved back. I don't think they're getting much of that, which is unfortunate.

I would exhort all the locals on my flist to follow my example, were it not for the fact that except for wendymc I think none of you has a car! Somehow it wouldn't surprise me if lidocafe had not been down there with hot chocolate and oranges, though.

For those on my flist who are NOT local, and have no clue what I'm talking about, and especially for those two or three who are librarians, you will be interested to know that our library staff is locked out. They have been in negotiations with the city for wage equity for months and got nowhere. Among their minor job actions has been a refusal to collect fines, and the city is using lost revenue (!!!) from this as an excuse to lock them out.

I'm not normally very political, but this issue really gets me steamed. The wage imbalance (a parking lot attendant makes more money per hour than the person who checks out books in the library) stems more from gender issues than anything else - library workers are more likely to be female than are parking lot attendants, road workers etc, and I think the city is banking on the fact that the public will get pissed off fairly quickly if they are unable to access the library. I hope people will keep up the solidarity, but I can imagine frazzled mothers with young children wanting books and videos, or seniors, or those who just need a place to go for company or to stay warm, beginning to lose patience with having their libraries closed down.

I shall try and drive by a branch every day and honk and wave.