WORKERS AT the King County Library system have voted overwhelmingly in favor of a vote of no confidence in the system director.

In a mail-in ballot, 92 percent voted in favor of a resolution expressing no confidence in the management and leadership of the director, Bill Ptacek. Nearly 75 percent of those who were mailed ballots responded.

The mail-in ballot followed the passage at the April general membership meeting of a motion to poll all members on the issue of no confidence. Local 1857 represents 518 staff who work at 43 King County libraries.

Members believe that Ptacek has mismanaged the library system to such a degree that the quality of service to the public is deteriorating, relationships with the community are worsening, public support is declining and library workers are unable to perform their duties effectively.

Library workers have expressed disillusionment with Ptacek for some time, but recent moves have led them to take stronger action. They understand that the library system is under pressure from budgetary constraints, but they say they believe he has made poor choices that have led services to decline and have not resulted in cost savings.

“They believe that the director gets an idea, runs with it, moves on and does not ever stop to evaluate the short-term or even the long-term effects of what his actions have meant,” says Council 2 Staff Representative Diana Prenguber. “They want to offer patrons services that reflect a gold standard, but are increasingly frustrated that management moves prevent them from doing so. They believe the gold standard is turning to brass.”

The staff complaints cover several issues, but among the major ones is the move in the last year to cluster all libraries, Local president Susan Veltfort explains.

Clustering involves the reorganization of the library system so that two, three or more are grouped under a single manager. Instead of serving only one library, workers rotate among all the libraries in the cluster.

Library staff believes that the way in which clustering has been managed has caused it to fail as an effective way to operate and has contributed to the deteriorating quality of library service to the public.

Library patrons and staff are overwhelmingly opposed to clustering, Veltfort says.

“Schedules are drawn up without consultation with the staff, forcing some to commute long distances and others to have to work adverse and inefficient shifts,” she says.

“For example, some who have never worked on Sundays and don’t wish to do so are now being forced to do so, while others who want to work Sundays are not able to do so and so lose out on the premium pay they had been receiving.”

Some involved in the clusters have had five different schedules in a year, workers say. In addition, the character of the libraries has become impersonal and less friendly as the staff is different each time a patron visits a library.

“The director and board offer no justification for this program that is tearing apart the neighborhood character of our libraries short of value and general ‘budget issues’ reasons; nor will the board members meet with us about this issue,” a letter from a Local member to a King County Council member says.

Another issue involves the way in which expensive technology is selected without sufficient review and implemented before being thoroughly tested.

Once again Sen. Cantwell deserves our support