A follow-up message to the Library of Congress community, from Jackie Coleburn
Drumroll please!
The over-the-top generosity of Library of Congress staff is on full display today.
The total amount of money raised for our friends who work in the LC cafeterias is $62,071.
I am so amazed and joyful and grateful as I tell you this fabulous news, it is difficult to write. Because of your good will and kindness, we raised enough money to give each of the 29 IL Creations employees at the Library a gift card worth $2,100!
The Guild, AFSCME Local 2910, worked with UNITE HERE Local 23, the union that represents IL Creations staff, to organize this campaign to raise the funds. Jesse Seitel, Lead Organizer, UNITE HERE Local 23, shared the following when he announced the total sum to us:
I am completely blown away by how much you were able to raise and cannot overstate how much this means to workers. Without a new stimulus deal, our workers are mostly living on $300 per week and so $2,100 will be the difference in being able to afford food, rent, and other essentials for survival.… Thank you very much for your solidarity and support!
Along with the many Guild members who gave, we are also grateful to CREA and AFSCME Local 2477 for their generous contributions, and to the many individual donors from within the Library. Your donations will bring immediate and meaningful change to the lives of hard-working people.
Our messages about this fundraising campaign went out to Guild members and bargaining unit members. From there, the emails took on lives of their own, traveling all over the Library and beyond. I know retirees and volunteers who donated! So, please also help us now to distribute this message of success and gratitude.
And again, thank you.
In solidarity,
Jackie Coleburn, AFSCME Local 2910, Member-at-Large for Membership
