Doors will remain open at Vancouver Island Regional Library branches after a new collective bargaining agreement was ratified by BCGEU members earlier this week. (File Photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

DONE DEAL

Librarians ratify new four-year collective agreement with Vancouver Island Regional Library

Apr 22, 2022 | 9:10 AM

NANAIMO — Vancouver Island Regional Library’s librarians are officially back on the job with a new contract.

The BC General Employees Union, which represents nearly 50 librarians across the VIRL network announced Friday, April 22 members had ratified a new collective agreement with their employer.

“This has been a challenging round of bargaining, but these members stuck together and achieved the deal they were looking for from the start,” Joanna Lord, BCGEU vice president said in a statement.

BCGEU did not provide a percentage of members who voted to approve the negotiated deal, but said it was a “strong majority” in favour during the Tuesday, April 19 vote.

The new four year agreement is retroactive to Dec. 31, 2020 when their previous agreement expired and will run through Dec. 31, 2024.

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Wages, which had been a big sticking point during negotiations according to the BCGEU, make up a central part of the new agreement.

According to the union, librarians will see increases over 12 per cent through the life of the agreement as well as a $500 signing bonus for all active employees.

“These wage increases are important steps toward closing the wage gap between VIRL librarians and those working for other, comparable regional library systems in our province,” the BCGEU statement read.

Also included in the deal is language related to parental leave, workload and workplace harassment.

The tentative agreement, reached April 11, ended weeks of rotating and system-wide job action.

While the librarians make up a small percentage of the VIRL workforce, their picket lines were respected in solidarity by CUPE members who account for nearly half of VIRL staff.

Striking librarians were joined on the picket lines by members from other unions during weeks-long job action. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

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