The Howard County Library System has quietly terminated 55 support staffers who primarily stack shelves, drawing a sharp rebuke from the system’s employees union.

Megan Royden, president of the Howard County library union, said the support staffers were caught completely off guard by Monday’s decision.

“We are angry about this, we are sad about this and we are disgusted that this is a decision that management has chosen to take,” Royden said in an interview.

At the Miller branch, where Royden works as an instructor and research specialist, she said there are 10 library support staff, also known as “shelfers.” They work a total of 94 hours a week — equivalent to the work of more than two full-time employees.

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