[PW] Re: Politics at work Was:religion at work

[Andrew Derby]

Hi Cindy
 
Most libraries I have worked for have employment policies. Most
libraries recognize the constitutional right to an individual's free
expression (which may include wearing jewelry or style clothing)
tempered with the institution's need to appear professional and
welcoming to all. It is the responsibility of the library board and
administration to state and define their policies. An employee who
agrees to work for a library system does so with the recognition that
he/she accepts the policies of their workplace.
 
If this employee is being harassed because she is wearing a Christian
Cross or a Cross of David, then she and her administration need to sit
down and look at the policies. If the library does not have policies,
then they need to get moving on creating them. 
 
For example, the library system I work for states in its Dress Code
Policy: "It the the responsibility of all staff members to represent the
...Library System to the public in a manner that is courteous, efficient
and helpful. Staff members should be well groomed and dressed in a
manner suitable for a public service environment and to reflect a
positive image and identity of the ...Library System.
 
Sounds like wearing a cross wouldn't necessarily cause discourtsy,
inefficiency or unhelpfulness..
 
We also have a policy of Political Convassing Activities that limits
staff personal political actions to non-work time:
 
"The limitations on the use of Library resources imposed in this policy
are not intended, and shall not be used, to infringe on the rights of
members of the Library staff, as individuals, to freely express and
exchange views and to associate with others. Rather, they are intended
to preserve both the fact and the appearence of the Library's
impartiality and to avoid the misuse of Library facilities or resources
in ways that would impair the Library's independent, non-political
status. Individual members of the staff are always free to express their
personal views as their own. Such expressions and canvassing should be
done in non-work hours; they should not disrupt or interrupt Library
activities, and they may not, in any way, infringe on the rights of
others."
 
Wearing a  religious symbol is so obviously a 'personal view', which
could be further reinforced by just asking the wearer. It wouldn't even
be considered grounds for contention in my library.
 
This is why administrators create work rules and policies: to protect
the rights of their individual workers and their institution. If
libraries (or any public workplace for that matter) don't  have these
policies in place, it opens them up to conflict and lawsuits and all
kinds of ill will. 
 
When I was an administrator in a small California Library it was my job
to create and present Staff Policies to our Library Board for discussion
and approval. Many of these policies I borrowed and adapted from other
library systems. With the Internet, these policies are easily found.
Start doing your research there. The ALA is a fine professional
organization, but they cannot compare with the workings of the many fine
libraries throughout the country that do business daily in the real
world.
 
Best of luck!
 
Andrew Derby / Librarian
Bothell Regional Library (KCLS)
18215 98th Ave. NE
Bothell, WA 98011
425-486-7811

-----Original Message-----
From: project-wombat-bounces at lists.project-wombat.org
[mailto:project-wombat-bounces at lists.project-wombat.org] On Behalf Of
Kay Lancaster
Sent: Sunday, June 11, 2006 4:07 PM
To: list at project-wombat.org
Subject: [PW] Re: Politics at work Was:religion at work

Who "owns" the library?  City? County?  What are their rules?
It seems to vary from state to state on a local level; gets slightly
murky in federal jobs:
http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:hrWvoQI3o7cJ:www.workrights.org/iss
ue_lifestyle/ldlegaltimes.pdf+state+employee+campaign+right+speech&hl=en
&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=3
http://www.boiseguardian.com/2006/02/15/forget_free_speech.html
http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/historics/USSC_CR_0413_0601_ZD1.ht
ml
http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/cgi-bin/getcase.pl?court=US&vol=413&invol=
601

One summer about 30 years ago I was hired to do data entry for a joint
state/county project in Iowa; my recollection was that I was hired first
by the state, then by the county when the state funds ran out, and then
again by the state when the project funds were renewed.  I was told that
under county(or maybe state?) regs, I couldn't have a bumpersticker on
my car for any political campaign if I was going to park in their
parking lots; the other funding source said I could, and I truly don't
remember the whole song and dance -- though I remember thinking at the
time it was all quite contradictory and probably a good setup for the
Lawyers Full Employment Committee....

Kay


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