Workers at the American Library Association have announced that they’re forming union with AFSCME Council 31. When the new union is certified, American Library Association Workers United/AFSCME will represent over 100 primarily Chicago-based ALA workers. An open letter signed by 40 employees was released yesterday, and lays out some of the new union’s core principles and commitments, include equitable pay, stable and comprehensive benefits, job security, and more of a say in the organization’s policies and strategies. The union aims to protect and advocate for staff, but also to protect the ALA mission that they all believe in. A fair labor contract will allow staff to “to create a sustainable future that restores, reimagines, and reinvigorates ALA’s crucial advocacy.” The move to organize was motivated by recent concerns over layoffs, increased workload, salary disparities, lack of transparency from management, and more.…