Unionized workers at Vancouver Art Gallery on strike

VANCOUVER — The Vancouver Art Gallery remains open but is operating with a skeleton staff after 200 unionized workers went on strike Tuesday morning.

The workers, members of Local 15 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, voted 96 per cent in favour of a strike and gave the gallery strike notice last week, said union local president Warren Williams.

On Monday, unionized workers took what is called “work to rule” job action, which means sticking to the letter of their contract, not working any overtime, and strictly following break and lunch times.

Workers are picketing the gallery, Williams said, because its management applied to the Labour Relations Board for a vote on its final contract offer. That vote isn’t expected to take place until Feb. 12.

“When they did that, the membership said: ‘We’ve been saying no to this several times,’ ” he said. “We’ve been bargaining for eight months and fought back a multitude of concessions. And now they’re trying to force us to vote on something we don’t want. That was the breaking point. That’s why we’re out here today.”

He said while the union is asking the public and other unionized workers to honour the picket line, striking workers are not in any way blocking public access to the gallery, which he said is “their building.”

Johanie Marcoux, director of marketing, communications and public affairs for the gallery, said it will assess on a day-to-day basis whether it remains open.

A letter sent by the gallery Monday to its unionized employees said that the current nine-day fortnight work schedule would apply only to existing employees on that schedule and not to future full-time employees hired after ratification.

The letter also said the current wage offer is based on a three-year contract from July 1, 2017. Retroactive pay hikes combined with an increase this July would amount to 4.75 per cent, compared to the union’s proposal of 5.5 per cent over the same period.