Toronto’s 2,300 library workers go on strike

TORONTO, Ont. – Toronto library workers will be walking picket lines, Monday, morning after negotiations with the city fell apart.

As a result of the strike, the doors at the city’s 98 library branches will be closed.

During the strike, all late fees for books and material on loan are being waved. Book drop-offs will be closed.

CUPE 4948 president Maureen O’Reilly, representing the 2,300 workers, said the major points of contention are part-time jobs and job security.

This is not new for city negotiators, who recently came to a deal with city outside workers that saw only workers with 15 years of experience or more having full protection.

There was hope a deal might be reached Sunday as the negotiation deadline was pushed back four times since its original midnight cutoff.

“Despite our best attempts … negotiations have stalled,” said Maureen O’Reilly, president of CUPE Local 4948, said Sunday.

Negotiators came to a stalemate over job protection, with the city pushing for a shift toward “more vulnerable part-time positions,” she said.

The past few months have seen tensions rise between the city and its workers, with several contracts on the line.

CUPE spokesperson Cim Nunn said the deliberations focused on a few key points.

“We need to ensure that there are steps taken to address the needs of part-time workers, who are so important to ensuring the services are protected and that people can continue to access services at the library that they depend on,” Nunn said.

It’s estimated that at least 50 per cent of library workers are part time.

“Job security is certainly going to be one, and support for workers who want to continue to provide service to residents in Toronto, and in doing so being able to transition from part-time to full-time jobs,” Nunn said.

“They’re all anxious, certainly there is a concern that I think everybody shares about the possibility of the libraries going dark if there is a labour disruption.”