MANHATTAN — If the thermometer drops below 68 degrees inside the city’s libraries, a little known clause gives workers the option to take a day off, it was revealed Monday.
The stipulation in the library workers’ union contracts, first revealed in the New York Times, lets them take a vacation day when the temperature inside the buildings falls to 67 or colder, or reaches 90 degrees or higher with at least 40 percent humidity.
"The decades-old clause is meant to be evoked in extreme circumstances to protect our workers during rare instances of heating or air conditioning malfunctions," New York Public Library spokesperson Angela Montefinise told DNAinfo.
The clause has been around for at least 30 years.
Under the provision, employees can also opt to move to another branch or earn hour for hour comp time if they stay at work when temperatures stray too far from comfortable.
Library officials said the decision to exercise the clause is up to the discretion of the library manager and is rarely used, especially if the thermometer falls only to 66 or 65.
They said the option would help keep the library door open to patrons even during freezing or sweltering temperatures.
“Our primary goal is to keep our branches open,” Montefinise said.
Though the libraries don’t track temperature-related comp time separately from other comp time, they don’t believe any employees have used the excuse this winter.
