Panel Rules in Favor of Library of Congress Union

[Omaha Steve]

By Emily Yehle
Roll Call (DC)
January 17, 2008

Union officials at the Library of Congress will not have to keep a list of the employees they talk to, after an impartial panel rejected the Library’s request for them to do so. The ruling ends a yearlong dispute over how the LOC Professional Guild should report its activities to Library management. The stalemate made its way through every possible mediator, arbitrator and panel — the Federal Service Impasses Panel was the last possible stop. Still, union officials will have to give the Library more detail on their activities during work hours. The terms will be plucked from the union’s proposal to the impasses panel and will be included in its bargaining agreement with the Library. It’s taken months, but union leaders are finally claiming victory.