Librarian Strike at University of Western Ontario Looms as Negotiations Continue

Unionized librarians and archivists at the University of Western Ontario (UWO), London, ON, Canada, have set a strike deadline for September 8—the first day of classes at UWO—as bargaining continues with university administration over staffing and compensation.

UWO librarians and archivists, represented by the UWOFA (University of Western Ontario Faculty Association) bargaining unit, have been without a contract since June 30, and have been in ongoing negotiations with UWO administration since April. The last time the two sides sat down was August 18, and further negotiations are scheduled for September 6 and 7.

If a strike occurs, the libraries will remain open and be staffed with non-UWOFA employees during the strike, according to UWO associate VP Helen Connell, though some subject-specific reference services may be unavailable. UWOFA president Bryce Traister said that there will not be picket lines in front of libraries in the event of a strike, as the libraries are on on-campus property.

No-board report filed
On August 15, UWOFA requested that the provincially appointed conciliator (or mediator) file a "no-board" report with the Ontario Ministry of Labour.

Under Canadian labor law, once the ministry receives such a report, which states that no agreement can be reached, it may appoint a board of conciliators; more often, it notifies both parties that no board will be appointed. Seventeen days after the report is filed, employees may legally strike and employers may legally lock out employees. In this case, both actions could potentially occur as soon as September 8.

Staffing and compensation at issue
According to a FAQ on UWOFA's website, outstanding issues include "staff complement, Compensation & Benefits and the long-standing pay gap between Western Librarians and Archivists and colleagues at comparative Canadian universities."

Traister told LJ that there are currently 44 academic librarians at the university, and the number of librarians has been steadily going down through attrition—creating vacant positions that are not filled, or full-time positions replaced with limited-term employees without benefits or job security. Another issue, he said, is the reassignment of librarians into fields in which they are not specialized—for example, assigning a science librarian to the humanities library. It shows a "lack or respect" for librarians' credentials and specialization, he said.

Compensation is also at issue. According to Traister, academic librarians are paid 12 to 15 percent less than their counterparts in Ontario, and nationally. Other major Ontario-based institutions include the University of Toronto, the University of Ottawa, and McMaster University, Hamilton; the latter two have comparable enrollments to UWO, while Toronto's is about twice as large.

So far, Traister said, "there has not been enough movement" during the negotiations, and he added that the librarians have "the steely look of people who are tired of being pushed around." UWO's Connell said that the administration believes its current offer is "reasonable and responsible," but did not give any further details.

A dedicated information page on the UWO website regarding the contract negotiations is being continuously updated.