Published April 30, 2024

Library strike set to continue after staff reject proposal 

Ruby Pratka, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

editor@qctonline.com

The strike affecting Quebec City’s public library system is set to enter its ninth week after unionized staff narrowly voted down a proposed collective agreement. Members of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCWU, more widely known by its French acronym TUAC) local 501, which represents about 200 collections, billing and related staff at the city’s 26 public libraries, rejected the proposal, 52 per cent to 48 per cent. Turnout was estimated at 73 per cent.

Employees have been on strike since March 1. Their main demands include more flexible scheduling, higher pay for entry-level staff and pay equivalent to Ville de Québec staff doing similar jobs.

The agreement that was voted down last week was the third attempt to resolve the dispute. A previous agreement negotiated through a conciliator from the Quebec Ministry of Labour was rejected by the Ville de Québec, which finances the library system through the nonprofit Institut Canadien de Québec (ICQ).

The parties are not allowed to speak publicly about the details of a rejected agree- ment. “The specific reasons people vote yes or no are their business [but] from what we’ve heard, the fact that there was very little movement on pay parity compared to the first proposal and the fact that the first proposal was rejected by the city have led to a lack of trust” between the employees and the ICQ, TUAC spokesperson Roxane Larouche told the QCT. The fact that the ICQ must validate any proposed agreement with the city before approving it also complicates matters. “Ninety-nine per cent of the time, we don’t have to deal with that,” Larouche said.

She said she expected negotiations to resume over the next week. In the meantime, picket lines will return to the steps of city libraries. Larouche said morale has been high on the picket line so far “although such a close vote might make it hard for some people,” and strikers benefit from the union’s nationwide strike fund.

ICQ spokesperson Mélisa Imedjdouben said in a brief statement that the ICQ was “deeply disappointed” at the lack of a resolution to the strike. “The offer presented to unionized staff took into ac- count the concerns expressed in terms of salaries and working conditions, while keeping in mind the need to ensure responsible management of public funds,” she said.

Twenty-three of the city’s 26 libraries will remain closed until further notice. The other three – the Monique-Corriveau Library in Sainte-Foy, the Étienne-Parent Library in Beauport and the Gabrielle- Roy Library in Saint-Roch – are operating on a reduced schedule, open only on Thursdays and Fridays from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from noon to 5 p.m.

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