Vancouver Island Regional Library served strike notice

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - Picket lines could go up in front of Vancouver Island Regional Library (VIRL) branches as early as 8 AM Thursday.

The BC General Employees’ Union (BCGEU) served the Vancouver Island Regional Library board with 72-hour strike notice on Monday.

This does not mean they are going on strike. The union has 90 days in which to exercise its right to go strike, which goes into effect on Thursday. If there is a strike, it could involve the closure of some or all VIRL branches. Other forms of potential job action include work slowdowns or rotating strikes.

In a press release, BCGEU president Stephanie Smith explained, “Librarians don’t want job action. What they want is a fair collective agreement that recognizes the value of their work to the communities they serve, protects their wages from sky-rocketing inflation, and gives them the safe, healthy workplaces they deserve.”

Smith told CHEK News, “MLAs have their salaries, legislatively tied to address inflation. We think workers deserve the same.”

In some communities, the only public washroom is in the library. They are also a warm, dry place, which has led to what the press release describes as, “safety issues including workplace violence and mental health impacts, and disrespectful working conditions.”

The 48 Librarians working in 39 branches on Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands, Cortes and Quadra Islands, Bella Coola and Haida Gwaii have not had a collective agreement with Vancouver Island Regional Library since December 2020.

According to a press release from the Vancouver Island Regional Library, negotiations have been ongoing since September 2021.

The BCGEU added that a mediator from the Labour Relations Board was brought in during January, but negotiations broke down in mid February.

quote the employer refused to provide cost-of-living wages and minimizing proposals to address workplace violence. unquote

Smith said all the Librarians have received from their employer is quote “unnecessary delays and proposals that can only be described as disrespectful. It's unacceptable." unquote

46 of the 48 librarians have voted in favour of job action.

CUPE Local 401, whose members work at more than half the librairies, issued a press release stating, quote “In the event of a work stoppage, it is our expectation that no CUPE member will cross a BCGEU picket line. This includes members working at home. If your regular place of work is being picketed, you should not be working.” unquote

CUPE members will be issued buttons saying, ‘I Support Librarians.’

Vancouver Island Regional Library’s 2022 operating budget is $31 million, 95% of which are fixed costs and 65% of those are wages and benefits. 

The Library wrote, “We regret that VIRL’s service delivery will be impacted, though precise impacts remain unclear at this time. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, and commit to continuing constructive efforts towards bargaining resolution with our valued colleagues.”

Smith maintains it is time for the board of trustees, which governs the Vancouver Island Regional Library, to get involved. The board is made up of elected representatives from 28 municipalities and 10 regional districts, including the Strathcona Regional District.

She said, "Trustees are responsible for guiding library operations and that includes hiring the staff who are at the table with our members bargaining this contract. These trustees are also responsible to the people who elected them. It's high time they got involved to help prevent the withdrawal of library services.”

Image credit: Reaching for a book - Photo by Guzel Maksutova on Unsplash