Workers at the Windsor Public Library are speaking out over a contract proposal for an expanded Sunday schedule as a strike deadline looms.
CUPE Local 2067.01 represents 70 library workers, who will be in a legal strike position as of midnight on June 30.
A small group of workers showed up for an information picket outside Windsor City Hall Tuesday afternoon ahead of the Windsor Public Library Board of Directors meeting.
Windsor Public Library has been in bargaining since the beginning of the year, after the contract expired in December 2023.
One of the main issues is a proposal to expand Sunday hours to all ten branches.
Dan Rutherford, President of CUPE Local 2067, says currently, they operate a Sunday schedule between September and May at three branches: Central, Budimir, and Riverside.
The shifts are filled on a voluntary basis, which allows workers to take the time in the form of pay or time owed.
Rutherford says they are open to expanding hours and services with the appropriate funding and staffing, but the Sunday proposal calls for a 'net-zero increase.'
"So they're going to be switching hours around. Basically, what they want is a blank check for a seven-day work week, and they can schedule us whenever," he says.
Library Board Chair, Ward 4 Councillor Mark McKenzie, says "the proposals being put forward will see an increase in weekly hours at all library branches and an increase in staffing. We look forward to continuing the negotiating process."
"We're concerned with losing hours at all the locations over the course of the week. With no additional funds, they will just shuffle around hours to open up on Sundays, so we will be losing hours that we are currently open," he says.
The union also wants some language changed in the contract that would prevent their members from having to work alone, citing safety concerns.
The union is asking library users to sign a petition that rejects the city's proposal. Click here to find the petition.
More talks are scheduled for June 25 with a mediator.
