Saskatoon library workers heading back to the picket lines

Saskatoon’s city library workers are heading back to the picket lines for a second one-day strike on Tuesday.

CUPE 2669, which represents city library staff, initiated the first strike on Nov. 12, saying its members want a deal that better addresses their workplace safety concerns and the rising cost of living. They’ve been without a collective agreement since June 2023.

In a news release on Monday, the Saskatoon Public Library (SPL) said it sent an updated offer to staff two days before the strike, and it has not yet received a response.

"We are disappointed that CUPE 2669 has not sent a response to our latest offer and has instead chosen to take job action that will lead to the closure of libraries, despite having an open offer on the table,” said CEO Carol Shepstone.

According to SPL, the new offer contained all the proposals from the rejected deal, plus additional paid sick time for the 75 circulation associates — formerly known as pages — and a memorandum of agreement to address staffing concerns at the Frances Morrison library.

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According to the union, staff recorded 58 separate incidents of violence between patrons and library employees last year. The high rate of violence is one reason the union says it’s holding out for a deal that guarantees workers won’t be put at a service point alone.

Katherine Norton, a CUPE representative, told CTV News on Monday the library’s supplemental additions to a deal the union already rejected don’t go far enough.

“We’re concerned about the piecemeal approach to wages and benefits.”

Norton says SPL made verbal commitments during a recent meeting with the union and a government-appointed mediator, but “the formal offers that followed were not the same.”

CUPE is questioning why the safety guarantees are being put in an agreement separate from their actual contract.

“Putting something in an MOU is not the same as putting it in a collective agreement.”

According to SPL, the parties have another date with the mediator on Nov. 27.

“We are committed to the bargaining process and look forward to our next mediation date,” Shepstone said.