Victoria PL Lockout Ends

A pay equity deal welcomed on March 31 by library workers ended months of labor unrest at the Greater Victoria Public Library, BC, where workers at the nine branches had been locked out since February 17 and had previously conducted various job actions. Of more than 200 library workers who voted, some 85 percent ratified the Memorandum of Agreement reached between Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 410 and the library.

CUPE spokesman Ed Seedhouse told LJ that an agreement in 1992 called for library jobs to be compared with others in the city; a study in 2000 found that many library workers should get a one-grade boost in pay. Given that Victoria pays its city workers more than in many other communities, and since the library's service area has expanded, the union agreed in the compromise to have its pay schedule compared with those in two other municipalities on an averaging basis. Over four years, the pay line will be adjusted, and the typical worker will gain $1.50–$3 CDN an hour over the four years.

Also, though the library wanted to stop paying a premium for Sunday work, the union “held the line,” Seedhouse said. Also, the 35 FTE pages, some of whom work nearly full-time, have been defined as auxiliary employees; under the agreement, nine new positions—senior pages—have been established. Other pages will get a salary boost.