Libraries to reopen June 27 after staff approve agreement to end strike

Ruby Pratka, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

editor@qctonline.com

Public library staff in Quebec City are preparing to return to work after members of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) local 501, which represents about 200 collections, billing and related staff at the city’s 26 public libraries, narrowly approved a new collective agreement.

“I am delighted that an agreement has been reached between the ICQ and its employees,” Mayor Bruno Marchand said in a statement. “It was a difficult time for everyone, on which it will finally be possible to turn the page. The reopening of the libraries will of course take a few days to organize, but it is really excellent news to start the summer period.”

Twenty-three of the city’s libraries have been closed since the employees went on strike March 1; the three remaining libraries have been open with limited hours. Normal service is expected to resume in all libraries on June 27.

Public libraries in the city are funded by the Ville de Québec via the Institut Canadien de Québec (ICQ), a non-profit organization responsible for day-to-day library affairs.

ICQ spokesperson Mélisa Imedjdouben said in a statement that the ICQ “is very pleased with the result of the vote held today by members of the UFCW 501 union as it puts an end to the indefinite general strike. The accepted offer takes into account the concerns of unionized staff regarding salary and working conditions. The ICQ is satisfied to have been able to find a way forward with the union.”

UFCW 501 members voted in favour of the agreement by a margin of 52 per cent to 48 per cent. It includes a 16 per cent salary increase over the next three years, elimination of the lowest pay grade, greater control over scheduling, a guaranteed paid 15-minute break for workers whose shifts exceed three and a half hours and a larger employer contribution to collective insurance payments. “We made a lot of gains … but it’s not really a celebration, ” UFCW spokesperson Roxane Larouche told the QCT. She warned that the current agreement is only valid until the end of 2026 and that Quebecers might “see this movie again” in a few years.

“If the city doesn’t give [the ICQ] money, the ICQ can’t give us money. This sends a message to the city saying, OK, we understand you have 14 collective agreements to negotiate, but please don’t forget that our workers need a raise to keep up with the other libraries,” she said.