Copley library workers are steamed, and not just because of the heat and humidity, although that's giving some headaches and nausea

Large fans that were delivered to public areas of the BPL's main library in Copley Square this morning are too little too late for workers - especially those in back offices who didn't get any fans - who have been falling faint and developing nausea over more than a week without air conditioning, the unions that represent them say.

In a joint statement today, AFSCME Local 1526 and MLSA Local 4928 chronicle the problems since the air conditioning was shut last week:

The buildings remained open for full staffing and elevated temperatures and humidity from June 1 - 5, 2024. Staff and patrons continued to experience workplace-related heat illnesses and reactions during this time and only received platitudes from Senior Leadership. We’ve heard reports of employees being unable to eat lunch due to heat-induced nausea. Employees are developing increasingly bad headaches as temperatures in the building rise through the day. Employees with chronic illnesses share worries the heat will cause a flare-up, forcing them to take sick time and miss out on personal events.

The unions say Library Chief of Staff Sarah Zaphiris e-mailed workers on May 20 that the AC would be turned off soon due to reconstruction of a loading dock - and that it was expected to be finished by the first week in June.

Only a few days after that email, on Friday, May 24, staff worked in an increasingly hot building all day, and then the Boylston Street building closed for the remainder of the day due to the heat. By then, the majority of spaces in the building were at 86 degrees or more. Staff were given the option to find another location to work or use paid time off (PTO) and go home. Those whose duties could not be done remotely were excused for the day. Conflicting messaging led to many staff members working from home for the rest of the day, only to find out that BPL required them to use their PTO for that time. "Work at an alternative location" did not clearly state that Senior Leadership expected staff to work from a branch, not their homes.

Staff who preferred to work from a branch location had to navigate finding a branch without support or assistance from Senior Leadership. For some, working at another location is simply not possible, as their skillset and work do not easily transfer to being done at a branch. ...

On Tuesday, May 28, 2024, an announcement was sent out at 8:50 AM that the Boylston Building was too hot to open. Many staff leave their house well before the beginning of their shift and had already made their way to Copley Square when they received this information. That same day, the McKim building closed at 5 PM. Staff who worked the evening shift were told they could "work from a cooler location" or use PTO. With the entire building now closed, there weren’t any cooler spaces in Central. Only a few branches remain open past 6:00 PM on Tuesdays resulting in staff having to unfairly use PTO for the rest of their scheduled shift.