Cicero Public Library Employees Claim Frustration with “Toxic Work Environment”
Illustration by Veronica Martinez
By Efrain Soriano
Editor’s Note: Names that include an asterisk(*) are pseudonyms for sources due to fear of retaliation.
Over the last two decades, the Cicero Public Library has been offering educational programs to the community, such as their Seed Library and one-on-one tech tutorials to help people prepare to work from home.
However, some current and past employees said their efforts to serve library patrons have been made difficult.
According to documents obtained by Cicero Independiente, a letter written by five of 20 library employees was first emailed to Ismael Vargas, Library Board president, on March 31, 2023, outlining concerns about a “hostile work environment” created in part by the library’s executive director, Sandra Tomschin, who was appointed in 2019.
Employees who raised these concerns suggested during an interview with Cicero Independiente that Tomschin should be terminated.
Tomschin denies these allegations of a hostile work environment and an investigation conducted by a law firm hired by the board found the complaints against her to be “unsubstantiated and/or inconclusive.”
“The Library Board and I have taken actions to improve the library for residents and employees. Unfortunately, it appears that there are still some disgruntled individuals who continue to make false allegations. The Library Board has done its best to address these issues and continues to respond to any complaints and concerns of its employees,” wrote Tomschin in response to questions about the employees’ allegations asked by Cicero Independiente.
Part of the library’s efforts to investigate these claims included seeking counsel from Odelson, Murphey, Frazier & McGrath, Ltd law group in May 2023. They ultimately reported their findings to the library board and employees in winter of 2023. However, some employees feel that the board of trustees hasn’t adequately addressed their concerns, leading one worker to resign and four others to consider resigning.
“Before I had a lot of pride, now I’m embarrassed to say I work here for the first time since I’ve worked here,” said Veronica Rodriguez, who worked at the library for over five years.
Five of the six library employees who were interviewed by Cicero Independiente would speak only on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation. Their names and titles have been altered to protect their identities. Two other library employees, apart from those that wrote this letter, were also approached for an interview but felt unable to speak for fear of retaliation.
However, in Freedom of Information Act documents obtained by Cicero Independiente, two different employees had sent emails to the library board outlining their appreciation for Sandra Tomschin. One of which was Beatriz Peralta, who has worked at the library since 2001.
In her email to the board, Peralta stated “Working with Sandra has gave me opportunities for growth, something I always wanted to achieve within, she valued me as her employee and saw me as what I am worth. I have been given the opportunity to attend many community events to represent the library, given freedom to bring ideas of creativity.”
In the letter that was sent on March 31, 2023, staff members waged several allegations against Tomschin including that she was creating a “hostile work environment”. The five staff who sent the letter threatened to walk off the job and made claims about discriminatory behavior in violation of library policies, which Tomschin has also denied.
“In response to unsubstantiated claims of discrimination, I deny intentionally discriminating against anyone, and I condemn all forms of discrimination and racism. As a Latina, with English as a second language, I have personally struggled with discrimination, racism, and stereotypes. It hurts, and I have no desire to see others subjected to that pain,” said Tomschin in her response letter to Cicero Independiente.
Complaints of being Overworked and Understaffed
In addition to the concerns laid out in the letter, staff that spoke to Cicero Independiente shared concerns about being overworked and understaffed.
Staff at the library said they witnessed Sandra Tomschin assigning her own duties outside the scope of her employees’ responsibility to other employees, including head of a department Simon Vasquez*. The library staff said Tomschin would consult with Vasquez because of their experience as a long time employee.
According to Vasquez and employees in their department, they were frequently overworked, having to aid Tomschin with her day to day operations as an executive director while managing their own workload.
“Personally, my own work suffered because work that [Vasquez] couldn't complete, because they had yet another assignment from Sandra, would pass down to us at some point,” said library employee Evelyn Casas*.
In response to questions about her assigning duties to other employees, Tomschin said she delegates tasks from time to time and delegates some authority to department heads. In her absence at the workplace, the assistant director performs her role.
“Part of being a good leader is understanding your employees' strengths, desires, motivations, and goals, and allowing them to be challenged and grow. I think every director, manager, or other leader has to properly delegate tasks, but must still be ultimately responsible for the outcome of that delegation,” said Tomschin in an additional response letter.
Some current and former employees didn’t agree. In their view, Tomschin’s over reliance on an experienced library employee eventually led to increased tensions. When Vasquez said he attempted to speak with Tomschin about how much work she was passing on, he claimed Tomschin refused to provide any assistance to this department.
“All of a sudden we were [unwelcome]. Our department was virtually eradicated. We were cut off from any kind of assistance. If we couldn't figure it out on our own, that's too bad because Sandra no longer would help us,” said Casas.
Tomschin said she froze some spending in the Cicero Public Library because library departments were spending their entire budgeted amount year after year.
“Just because there is a budgeted amount, does not mean it must be spent. I saw so much waste with supplies being ordered when we already had them,” Tomschin said. “Materials being ordered, but not used. Or departments that would not share supplies they have with other departments.”
Some employees reported to Cicero Independiente feeling constantly “overwhelmed” and “burnt out” throughout the work day as a result of what they say was understaffing. A feeling that would only grow worse after the unforeseen termination of Vasquez in fall of 2023.
“Toxic Work Environment” and Prejudice Accusations
According to the staffers’ complaint to the board, ostracizing an entire department was only part of the problem. They claim that before any of the issues with Vasquez, Tomschin had already built a reputation among employees for her alleged use of racial slurs and prejudicial comments, claims which Tomschin adamantly denies. These claims were also brought up to the law firm during some of the employees’ interviews, they said. However, OMFM law group still found employee claims to be “unsubstantiated and/or inconclusive.”
After an incident in summer of 2020 where a Black patron assaulted a staff member, Casas alleges she recalls having a conversation where Tomschin used a racial slur to describe the patron.
“Quite frankly, I was very shocked. I did not expect that to ever come out of her mouth, especially from my [executive] director,” said Casas.
Two employees told Cicero Independiente that in December 2022 Tomschin told them, “I hired a [slur] just so we’re covered for the demographics,” when discussing the hiring of a Black employee.
Four employees told Cicero Independiente that weeks later, in early 2023, Tomschin again used a racial slur to refer to the newly hired Black employee. The employees said this alleged incident occurred in the presence of Vasquez who was defending this employee.
According to Vasquez, Tomschin allegedly said “Oh, are you a [slur] lover too now? You’re going to defend her?”
The Library Board Investigates
Illustration by Veronica Martinez
The five employees who sent the letters told Cicero Independiente that they did not hear back from the board president until a few weeks after the letter was sent.
However, it was not until May 2023 that attorneys from Odelson, Murphey, Frazier & McGrath, Ltd law group reached out to employees about conducting in-person interviews as part of an investigation of the staff’s claims. All interviews were conducted in the library and within work hours, a decision staff say put their confidentiality at risk.
Despite the allegations against the executive director and ongoing investigation, president Vargas took the opportunity during a board meeting in June 2023 to express his gratitude for Tomschin’s commitment to the public. However, no mention of the investigation is written in the meeting minutes.
“President Vargas also thanked Library Director Sandra Tomschin for all that is happening in the community and appreciated all she does for the library,” according to the meeting minutes.
In July 2023, five staff members sent another letter to Vargas where they expressed concerns that someone on the board may have been sharing the identities of the employees who made complaints with Tomschin.
“More than several times Sandra has gone on rants and mentioned things that only the attorneys and board should know. The attorneys asked us not to discuss what was in those letters to anyone and now our trust has been broken,” according to the letter.
Ismael Vargas did not respond when asked to comment on the concern that someone on the board had shared the identities of the employees who made complaints with Tomschin.
On November 13, 2023 staff would finally receive word via email from OMFM law group which stated, “After reviewing information and documents, including Library and Town records, and interviewing Cicero Public Library employees, the investigating attorneys concluded that your complaints against Director Tomschin were unsubstantiated and/or inconclusive. As a result, the Library Board will not be taking action against Director Sandra Tomschin. However, it has been determined that, as a result of this investigation, additional steps are necessary to improve employee relations at the Cicero Public Library.”
“I felt very dismissed, and I felt like the whole situation was swept under the rug, and we were all told to basically look the other way. That's how it felt like to me,” said Casas.
Some staff members said they have begun to lose hope that their concerns will go unaddressed. In group interviews held by Cicero Independiente, six employees expressed dissatisfaction with the work environment. Many of them also expressed the desire to resign from their current roles at the library.
“The current director makes the community experience at the library unbearable,” said one long-time employee who has worked there for over 10 years.
In Tomschin’s response to Cicero Independiente, she said that after the investigation was concluded, the library board “took action to update library policies and provide training regarding library policies and procedures, including those involving discrimination.”
In addition to their discrimination policy, the library has adopted the American Library Association's Updated Library Bill of Rights last December of 2023, “further exemplifying the Library's dedication to nondiscrimination and inclusiveness,” according to Tomschin.
“Twice a year, the library hosts what we call "In-Service". These 2 days, the library is closed to patrons, so we can focus on training, collaboration, or planning,” said Tomschin. “Our most recent In-Service was on December 1, 2023, and Board president Ismael Vargas spoke at length about the Library's goal of providing a healthy, fair, and positive work environment for all employees.”
After many years of working at the library, Rodriguez resigned from her position in November 2023 shortly after learning about the board's decision to not take action against Tomschin.
“The Cicero Public Library has been a toxic work environment for some time now. Staff members and I have voiced our concerns and frustrations for the last year. …Our director continues to demonstrate a lack of leadership and appreciation toward staff members…As a staff member, I strongly feel that my concerns were not properly addressed, and I feel they were not taken seriously,” according to her letter.
In a follow up interview nearly a month after her resignation, Rodriguez would go on to describe how much less pressure and stress she felt since leaving her position. Yet, her experiences at the library continue to stick with them to this day.
“Even if someone desperately needed this job, it’s not worth it. I would not recommend this job to anyone,” said Rodriguez.
Ismael Vargas did not respond when asked to comment on this investigation or the letters he received from library staff.
Tomschin has left a lasting impression on library operations and employees since being assigned to the role, according to employees.
“I've heard of other libraries going through such shenanigans, either through a poor director, … or an ineffective, controlling board. I never expected it to happen here, and I'm heartbroken, sincerely,” said Casas.
As of May 2024, Sandra Tomschin remains the Executive Director for the Cicero Public Library.
Efrain Soriano is the Youth and Schools Reporter for Cicero Independiente and a freelance photographer in the local area.
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