Public Employee Press

BLACKOUT HEROES

Sticking together

When the electricity went off on Aug. 14, Library Page George Avery was stuck on the third floor of the Library for the Blind in Manhattan.

For the wheelchair-bound worker, there was no way out. The elevator didn’t work, and other staffers couldn’t carry the man and his electric wheelchair downstairs.

But he felt tremendously comforted when several co-workers decided to remain at the library until he could leave. “There was a feeling of solidarity among us,” said Principal Librarian Bonnie Farrier, a member of New York Public Library Guild Local 1930.

Office Associate 3 Carol Thomas, the local’s treasurer, stayed on the third floor all night. Six Firefighters arrived in the early evening. But they pointed out that Mr. Avery was physically safe, then left to rescue people stuck in elevators. “He was concerned that people were staying just because of him. But we were all calm. We listened to a battery-operated radio and told jokes,” Ms. Thomas said.

The other staffers who remained were Supervising Librarian Rachelle Stein, Senior Librarian Burke Mortimer and Custodian Miguel Sanchez, a member of Local 374. Ms. Farrier distributed stuffed animals from the children’s area to keep the staff cozy through the night.

The library workers went home the following morning after Firefighters and Emergency Medical Service workers arrived and took Mr. Avery to the first floor. “It was a crazy night,” he said. “Carol and the others were great.”

— GNH