SACRAMENTO  — The California Federation of Teachers announced today that the librarians and library staff from the Claremont Colleges Services (TCCS) have voted to join the CFT in a union election conducted by the National Labor Relations Board. The votes from the mail election were counted yesterday in Los Angeles, California, with 80% of those participating voting in favor of the union.

The Claremont Colleges Services (TCCS) is the central coordinating and support organization for the seven independent colleges known as The Claremont Colleges. In total, there are 34 librarians and library workers in the bargaining unit.

TCCS librarian and organizer Jeanine Finn was heartened by the results of the vote, and what it will mean not only for the library workers, but the Claremont Colleges students and faculty as well.

“At the Claremont Colleges Library we make essential contributions to successful teaching, learning, and research across the seven separate educational institutions in the consortium every day,” said Jeanine Finn. “We came together collectively to have a greater voice and agency in our workplace, and are so excited to be launching a new chapter where we can fully contribute to an environment for education where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.”

CFT President Jeff Freitas congratulated the library workers on their union victory, and pledged to support them as they negotiate their first contract with TCSS.

“We are honored to welcome the librarians and library workers of the Claremont consortium into the CFT,” said Jeff Freitas. “We look forward to working with the consortium to quickly negotiate a contract that recognizes the critical contributions these workers make every day to the students and faculty of the Claremont Colleges.”

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CFT — A Union of Educators and Classified Professionals represents 120,000 teachers, faculty, and school employees in public and private schools and colleges, from early childhood through higher education. It is the statewide affiliate of the AFT, AFL-CIO.