[Publib] On the Book

[Backwage at aol.com]

I was wondering if anybody had ever seen anything like this:
 
Here in Los Angeles, we have some construction unions whose members  also 
work for the City of Los Angeles and also the County.  The way they do  this is 
as follows:  the electrician or plumber will take temporary  employment with 
the city at a fraction (usually 85%) of the usual  construction wage rate, and 
full benefits, which are paid to the union's  plan.  While working for the city 
or county, the plumber will simply do  assigned work.  When the city is done 
with that worker, they will send her  back to the union hall to await a 
dispatch to a construction job, or perhaps  wait for another opening in a city 
position.  They call this "temporary"  work, though some people spend entire 
careers, with 40-hour weeks, in such  positions.
 
The reason for this is that the city and county already have their own  
workers, but often need to supplement their crews for certain projects.   The 
workers out of the union hall are experienced; they, like the city workers,  have 
completed the apprenticeship program and all other requirements.  The  reason 
the city or county likes this setup is because they do not have to retain  
workers a moment longer than they have to, and they also are not obligated with  
any pension or benefit liability beyond the moment the worker leaves.  The  
workers enjoy this setup because they can work for extended periods for the  
city/county while waiting for construction work to come up.  The worker  waits on 
the dispatch book until another opportunity comes along, which she may  accept 
or reject.  Everybody wins.
 
I do not know what proportion of city/county work is done in this manner,  
but it is not inconsiderable.  Hundreds of workers do this every day, in  this 
fashion.
 
Now then.  Perhaps you know where I am going with this.  Let us  say for 
argument's sake that we have a couple of local libraries, like those of  Los 
Angeles and Los Angeles County--both of them giant systems.  Let us say  that they 
have a lot of uncovered hours--here and there in various libraries,  perhaps 
unfilled full-time spots in one or another place.  Why not have a  system like 
that the construction trades share with the city/county?  
 
Now then, some bright person is going to mention that the city and county  
may already have temporary workers and half-time people to do these jobs.   But 
I'm driving at something else.  That's all well and good for the  libraries.  
What about the librarians?
 
I think it would be a great leap forward if there were such as thing as a  
librarian dispatch book, as there is in the musicians' union, and even among  
other groups such as theatrical wardrobe workers (like my mother).  Why not  
have workers who are not or prefer not to be attached to a library be able to  
work there, be hired, quickly put on, to the benefit of the system and the  
librarian?  
 
I hope nobody tells me that there is some terrific knowledge base peculiar  
to the Los Angeles City or County libraries that would prevent some person from 
 coming off the bench to do reference work therein.  If what we have is an  
actual profession, then any flexible person could go and do that work.  
 
Advantage to the worker:  flexibility; ability to accept certain hours  and 
places of work, ability to work for a set period and then depart, perhaps  
returning later.
 
Advantages to the system: Not having to permanently hire for positions that  
are likely to be abandoned quickly (don't anybody say this isn't so), ability 
to  flex staff numbers to meet budget; not having to post, interview, hire, 
and then  see what happens. Perhaps best of all, the library gets to see a 
worker for a  spell of time before inviting them to work there permanently.  
 
In any dispatch system, the worker can be rejected by the employer.   
Sometimes they are.  That person simply returns to the book without  prejudice.  
Occasionally the reverse is true.  And also:  most  dispatch systems have the 
provision wherein a certain number of workers may be  called by name--this means 
that the library could simply say, "If Helen Smith is  on the book, we request 
her."  In my business, they get that right for the  first worker called, when 
three or more are dispatched.  Advantages here to  all concerned.
 
I write this mostly because I see those permanent ads placed by library  
systems for workers.  And I know that the reason for the permanence of  those ads 
is because people depart.  Why not just use a dispatch system to  cover a 
proportion of the jobs?  
 
Responses welcomed.  
 
M. McGrorty
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