Cleveland Public Library Bargaining Team Candidate Bios

Candidates were asked to offer a few words about why they want to serve on the negotiations committee and why they believe they are qualified.  These are the candidates who submitted something:

Difranco Barnes:

I have worked with the Library for 8 years as a Library Assistant and now as a Coordinator in the OPS department. I am currently a Union Delegate and would love to serve on the negotiation committee. My contract negotiation experience includes working with vendors of the Library to receive cheaper prices on goods and services.

Derrick Brown:

My name is Derrick Brown and I am requesting consideration as serving as a negotiator. I feel I would be a strong candidate for Property Management with over 20 years of property management experience and prior experience on the negotiating panel for Teamsters 507. I would love to collaborate with my fellow SEIU members during this exciting process.

Currently I am on the Health and Safety Committee, Labor Management Committee and am a delegate. I feel, with the knowledge obtained in assisting with various matters, with the experience of my related work, I am ready to bring the concerns of my fellow workers and come to a resolution that will bring up the morale and, more importantly, bring property management together again.

Giselle Greycastle:

In my time at Cleveland Public Library, I’ve worked in both Property Management as well as Public Services, so I have a perspective from multiple departments. Between being a Custodian on the West Side and Public Services Generalist on the East Side, I’ve worked at multiple branches on both sides of the city. At every branch I work, I make it a point to ask my coworkers about the problems they’re facing at their locations.

I’m involved with the Rainbow Readers ERG and have volunteered on their behalf. I also have experience voicing our concerns to upper management. I’ve been in meetings before with the Executive Leadership team, Human Resources, as well as representatives from both Local 860 and SEIU where I had to speak up on concerns facing us in the branches.

I’ve found that we face a lot of the same problems throughout CPL: inconsistent policies, poor communication, less attention and resources for branches, lack of security, ever-expanding and increasingly vague job descriptions… I want to make sure our voices are heard and our concerns are address.

Lisa Malone:

I was previously seated as an SEIU Executive Board member. I have participated in more than one contract negotiation, worked with delegates and organizers extensively for 10 years. Have participated in mediations, arbitrations, and grievance proceedings for many SEIU workers, as well as, working with Cleveland Public Library administration on several initiatives.

Mike McGee:

I work here, like you do. But before I did, I spent a decade professionally reviewing long, drawn-out, torturously dull documents for a living, scrutinizing every word for meaning. The text of our contracts is exquisitely boring, and boring writing is an immense effort to read. What can’t be read can’t be understood. However, it is still actionable. I want to help make sure our new contract says what it has to say.

This is a serious thing. I believe in our institution, but CPL isn’t just a bunch of buildings. It’s the people. Without them – without us – those buildings have no purpose. Our community, locally and nationally, is at a tipping point, and libraries have never been needed more. Our new contract must reflect what we need to keep our library strong. Thank you.

Terry Metter:

I would like to be a member of the negotiating team because I know my coworkers are the Library’s greatest asset and that they change lives for the better every day. In my years as a library employee and Union delegate, I have learned that a strong contract is the best way to ensure that library employees receive the protection and compensation that all workers, especially those at a Five Star public library, deserve.

My first experience at CPL happened before I can remember it – my parents brought me to the Lorain Branch regularly as a small child and I directly benefited from the passion and expertise of CPL employees. I began working at CPL at the Lorain Branch as a Page in 2005 and I have been a Clerk, Library Assistant, and Librarian. Having worked in Branches and Main Library has given me the opportunity to understand the work our members do and the challenges they face systemwide.

I served on the negotiating team in 2019, saw firsthand how negotiations work, and learned how much power we have when we support one another. I’m planning to take the lessons from our last contract to work for an even better one this time around. I look forward to listening to members from across the system, whether they have decades or days of experience, to make the Library a better place to work. Regardless of whether I am chosen, I am grateful for the opportunity to work with and for our members to build a strong Library and a strong Union. Thank you for considering me.

Erick Walker:

I have worked on every negotiating team here at Cleveland Public Library since 1998. I understand the issues and I helped to write language for better safety and better wages. From 2008 to 2023, served as one of three Executive Board Members and we were instrumental in making sure that no SEIU1199 staff were laid off during the Covid pandemic, in fact we came up with a plan to work with the State of Ohio, Shared work Ohio, where staff members were paid with money that was allocated by the United States Congress. I have been instrumental in making sure Union members’ rights are protected, and I have also been instrumental in Union members getting their jobs back when they were wrongly terminated. I have the historic knowledge,32 years, of Union negotiations here at Cleveland Public Library and I believe I will be an asset to these upcoming negotiations.