Hi HPL! If you haven’t met me yet, my name is Sarah Gauthier, and I am a Community Youth Librarian at the Saltfleet and Stoney Creek Branches. I was most recently in the Collections Librarian role on a short contract. I have also, in the past, worked at the Barton and Kenilworth Libraries. I have a long work history with HPL, at many levels of the organization. I started as a Call-In in May 2014, and before that, I worked as a page in high school. I truly love working for public libraries and have a large amount of respect for my fellow union members, especially during these trying times.
I ask for your vote for Vice President of CUPE 932 because I have a strong interest in workers’ rights in the library and information profession. I often attend union meetings, and keep my own branch updated when there are new pieces of information to relay. I am always happy to help and listen to staff regarding our work, and I will continue to do so with respect to union dealings. I always take the approach of being friendly and open to conversation.
Presently, the library profession and most workplaces are in an unprecedented situation. No one is sure what the landscape will look like when it is safe to return to our branches. Will customers still visit libraries like they used to? What will programming look like? What will our collections look like? These are all questions we should be concerned about. However, the biggest question I will work towards answering as your CUPE 932 VP is how will HPL make sure its employees are working in the most safe and fair way. I believe I will make a good fit alongside our current executive and look forward to working alongside them.
May 11, 2020