One hundred and twenty-nine days.
That’s longer than the 126-day strike by Chrysler workers in 1946. Longer than the 109-day strike by Ford workers in 1954. Longer than the 101-day strike by city workers in 2009.
The walkout by 58 Essex County librarians, closing 14 branches in seven municipalities, is one of the longest strikes in local history.
Where’s the urgency?
They began picketing in sweltering heat, during one of the hottest summers on record. Now, they’ve dug out their winter coats. The strike has spanned two seasons, and on Tuesday, it will have spanned six months.
How many children, seniors and immigrants trying to learn English haven’t been able to read books all this time?
Hundreds of people who want their libraries back packed the last county council meeting, sitting on the floor, spilling out the doors. There have been thousands of signatures on petitions. Thousands of calls and emails. Thousands of “Open Our Libraries” signs in front of people’s houses.
But the library board and the union, CUPE, have met only once since Aug. 8.
Essex MPP Taras Natyshak raised the strike in Ontario’s legislature last week. He called on Premier Kathleen Wynne to do something.
We don’t need the premier to resolve this. She’s got other pressing problems. The two sides, all adults I presume, need to resolve this.
![In this file photo, members of CUPE Local 2974 representing Essex Library workers, walk the picket line at Essex Branch on Arner Townline on June 27, 2016.]()
In this file photo, members of CUPE Local 2974 representing Essex Library workers, walk the picket line at Essex Branch on Arner Townline on June 27, 2016.
Essex County was becoming so progressive — transforming its streetscapes, building bike paths and trails, buying historic landmarks. But the county has regressed on this one.
Meanwhile, there were almost 1,000 new members at the Windsor Public Library last month, where the use of digital resources shot up 33 per cent in July compared to a year ago.
The Windsor Public Library has its own tortured past of scandal and revolving CEOs. The city also spends less on its libraries per capita than the provincial average. But we’re investing $7.9 million now — the biggest investment and modernization in years — for a new branch in the cool, historic Sandwich fire hall, another new branch at busy Optimist Community Centre (it will consolidate two other branches) and an addition at popular Budimir Library. We’re also saving Seminole Library, which was supposed to close.
The Windsor Public Library launched its 4,000-piece Automotive Archives, the first in Canada, this year. It was also the first public library in Canada to get an Espresso Book Machine, so you can publish your own book. It has been used to print thousands of books.
Libraries offer universal access to knowledge and ideas, to learning and opportunities. They stoke curiosity and imagination. A library is a statement that this community is part of the Information Age.
Books, newspapers, magazines, computers, music and movies, even recipes and knitting patterns — you can get it all at libraries. Literacy classes, tutoring, chess lessons — all this happens at libraries. Some have theatres, galleries, even broadcast and recording studios.
They’re community hubs. That’s why cities around the world are using them to rejuvenate urban centres.
But for 129 days, nothing has happened in Essex County’s libraries. Instead, the county is spending $29,000 a week — more than most of the librarians earn in a year — on security. What a waste.
![CUPE president Fred Hahn, right, rallies striking library workers in front of the Tecumseh Library on Thursday, July 14, 2016.]()
CUPE president Fred Hahn, right, rallies striking library workers in front of the Tecumseh Library on Thursday, July 14, 2016.
The problem is sick leave. Plenty of employers and unions have dealt with this trying issue. But for some reason, the county and the union can’t.
Currently, librarians get 18 sick days a year, and they can bank unused days. But banked days are an unfunded liability, so the county wants to stop that. It’s offering 8.5 sick days a year. If librarians don’t use them, they could cash them out at the end of each year. In addition, the board would purchase short-term disability insurance for longer illnesses.
The first nonsensical thing in this dispute is that both sides acknowledge that the librarians don’t abuse sick leave.
There’s also plenty of blame to go around.
When the dispute began, the county wanted to set a pattern for sick leave for its other unionized employees, especially its paramedics. So it was using the librarians to get to the paramedics, which isn’t fair. Did it think the mostly female, part-time librarians wouldn’t fight back?
The librarians are already ahead simply because they get sick leave, library board chairman Richard Meloche told me. The county’s other part-time employees don’t, he said, though he quickly agreed that’s not good.
What the county really wants is consistency and certainty — the same sick leave for everyone, no unfunded liabilities. It’s largely bean counting. Is that worth closing libraries for 129 days?
The librarians aren’t losing much. They can keep and use their existing banked sick time. They just wouldn’t be able to accumulate more. They would also be allowed to cash out unused sick time in the future, which they can’t do now.
Many of the county’s other unionized employees, also represented by CUPE, have since accepted what the county wants, leaving the librarians out in the cold, in more ways than one. So much for solidarity.
This strike began as kids were getting out of school for the summer. So there were no summer reading programs. The kids returned to school this fall, and the libraries were still closed. There are no books and computers for homework and projects. Yet we tell kids that education is important.
Somebody show some leadership.
ajarvis@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/winstarjarvis
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