FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 6, 2022
BCGEU librarians escalate job action, call in VIRL’s Ben Hyman, free community event Saturday
BURNABY, B.C. (COAST SALISH TERRITORIES) – After a week of system-wide strike action and two weeks without an offer from their employer, members of the BC General Employees’ Union (BCGEU) working as librarians for the Vancouver Island Regional Library (VIRL) are further escalating their job action.
On Thursday, April 7th, all three VIRL branches in Nanaimo plus VIRL branches in Comox and Cowichan Lake will be behind picket lines. If the librarians are not invited back to the table by their employer by Saturday, they will provide a free story time event for families in Cumberland’s Village Square. The BCGEU has also launched an ad campaign across Vancouver Island including print, web, radio, and billboard ads, calling on the VIRL Board to authorize a fair wage mandate for VIRL librarians.
“Librarians care deeply about serving their communities, and throughout the challenges of bargaining and job action, their communities have shown up for them,” said BCGEU president Stephanie Smith. “The librarians’ ‘Stories & Crafts for Little Activists’ event this weekend is both a show of gratitude and a reaffirmation of their solidarity and their commitment to their profession.”
At the same time as the librarians’ free Saturday community event, the VIRL board will be holding a public meeting on Zoom. Much of the agenda and consent package materials is related to support for VIRL librarians.
“The VIRL board has the power to authorize a wage proposal that would end this job action and get these librarians back to work,” said Stephanie Smith. “We know that dozens of library users have written to trustees in support of a fair wage for VIRL librarians and I would expect the trustees to review every one of those letters. We will be watching on Saturday to see if they step up and take the action their community is demanding.”
As the labour dispute enters its second month, the BCGEU librarians are disappointed at the lack of engagement from their boss, VIRL Executive Director Ben Hyman, a former librarian.
“Our members were excited when Ben took over as executive director,” said Smith. “They had high hopes that a leader who had worked in their profession would understand the challenges they face and his talk about developing a resilient, strategic, citizen-centric library service just strengthened those hopes. Unfortunately, he has shown no indication that he is willing to back up his talk with concrete actions to support our members.”
Background:
For more information, including previous media releases, picket updates and Saturday’s free story time event in Cumberland, visit www.bcgeu.ca/virl.
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The BCGEU is B.C.'s most dynamic, diverse, and fastest growing union -- representing more than 82,000 members who work in every sector of the economy and live in every community across the province including the 48 librarians who work for the Vancouver Island Regional Library.
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