Columbus Metropolitan Library employees have voted to officially form a union.
The results, released by Ohio’s State Employment Relations Board (SERB) on Tuesday morning, recorded 86% of valid ballots as being in favor of the union. The votes were also counted on Tuesday. Voting took place by mail from June 16 through June 30.
The Columbus Metropolitan Library United union group includes roughly 600 librarians, customer service specialists, youth engagement specialists, materials service associates, drivers, sorters and other library workers. The employees were represented by the Ohio Federation of Teachers.
Rahaf Fares, an organizing committee member from CML’s Martin Luther King branch, said the outcome is satisfying after being confident the vote would pass.
“What's important about this union is that we're working towards something that will allow staff to be able to have their input taken seriously,” Fares said. “Hopefully, on a system level to make working conditions better for us.”
Fares explained that, without the union, staff would be unable to advocate for affordable healthcare, fair attendance policy, raises and livable wages.
“I think there's a kind of a stigma surrounding unions that, if you want a union, it automatically means you hate your job — and that couldn't be more false. I think we're doing this work because we love our jobs and we want to continue to sustainably keep them and be able to provide the care that we do to our library community,” Fares said.
Library workers started the process of unionizing in Dec. 2025 by submitting union cards with SERB to set up a union election. During the campaign, three Unfair Labor Practices were filed against CML over "union busting allegations."
Columbus Metropolitan Library gave the following statement regarding the workers’ unionization efforts:
“Columbus Metropolitan Library respects the decision of its staff to select the Ohio Federation of Teachers as its exclusive representative and will abide by the election results upon certification. We are looking forward to beginning good faith negotiations to achieve an acceptable contract. We remain committed to our customers, our staff, and the central Ohio community.”