City library staff 'scared to come in to work,' union says

Violence against employees at the James L. McIntyre Centennial Library is on the rise and management is not doing anything to address the concerns of about 50 workers, says the president of Local 67 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees.

As SooToday first reported, staff concerns about an aggressive, threatening man outside the downtown library last month resulted in a facility lockdown and a complaint to the Ontario Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development.

Janelle Martin says in the news release that the incident "is a symptom of chronic health and safety" problems in the city’s libraries.

"Violence against library workers is increasing, and nobody is taking our safety seriously,” said Martin.

She said workers have been asking management to restore the security guards who were on duty during the pandemic, but then removed.

“Having security guards in a library is not the final solution, but the number of disturbing and violent incidents has been going up every year. Our members aren’t trained to deal with substance abuse or mental health crises and need to be protected. We aren’t equipped to handle what is happening and our mental health is taking a hit,” she said.

The local is asking for security as an emergency measure while the city, province, and the federal government address the root causes of the incidents, including a lack of affordable and supported housing, proper mental health and income supports, and supports for people caught in the opioid crisis, the release added.

Further, they want guards assigned to the library be provided extra training so they can assist people in distress, "particularly when they are also from marginalized communities."

“A lot of the incidents are the result of various levels of government having abdicated their responsibilities,” she said. “Until they fix the problems, library workers are on the front line of almost every social challenge in the city. And it’s wearing on us. Staff are having more mental health issues and are scared to come in to work.”

Many incidents occur at the Centennial Library during the evenings and on weekends, when management is absent and cuts have left the library with a skeleton staff of just three adults, the release said.

Staff are required to check washrooms in case of an overdose, which has meant women checking washrooms alone. This has resulted in an employee being cornered in one incident, the release said.

“The lockdown was not an isolated incident. It was a symptom of a chronic problem, and it is long past time that the library’s management and board started taking this seriously,” said Martin.

CUPE represents represents about 90 City of Sault Ste. Marie employees and 50 public library workers.