On the fourth day of strike outside one of the city’s most iconic buildings, unionized Vancouver Art Gallery workers and management have agreed to mediation.
CUPE 15 made the application to the Labour Board Friday and says mediation is now scheduled for Sunday. The Vancouver Art Gallery tells CTV New the institution will continue to stay open with limited services "until further notice."
"We never should’ve left the bargaining table," said CUPE 15 president Warren Williams.
Wages and scheduling have been the sticking point in a bargaining process that has spanned months. The union is asking for a pay raise retroactive to July 2017 totalling 5.5 per cent while the Gallery is offering 4.75 per cent.
"This is an international issue across the arts world," said Williams. "Workers in galleries are not getting fair compensation for the work they do."
He says unionized workers at the Vancouver Art Gallery earn between $30,000 and $65,000 annually with an average hourly wage around $20. There are 212 employees currently walking the picket line with large signs proclaiming they are on strike, some with clever slogans like "Show me the Monet."
Earlier this week, CUPE 15 issued a press release slamming the Gallery for a wage offer that doesn’t keep up with inflation and that "Art Gallery managers continue to insist on the same regressive concession regarding two-tier working conditions and scheduling models that the union has repeatedly rejected."
The art gallery had applied to the Labour Board for a vote to be held amongst the unionized employees, putting CUPE in a position where they were encouraging members to stand with the bargaining committee’s position rejecting the current offer.
The art gallery has painted a picture of tenuous finances, with one memo to staff reading in part "...the Gallery is a not-for-profit organization and has been transparent about the financial risks inherent in our operations." In a fact sheet sent to employees, the institution insisted "The overall compensation package which includes benefits outlined in the Collective Agreement is fair, equitable and competitive for our not-for-profit charity sector."
The gallery notes it’s not responsible for skyrocketing housing costs and that the issue is a major factor for employers across all sectors.
