FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 30, 2006
Art Gallery of
Ontario workers set June 29 strike deadline
Toronto – The union
representing staff at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) has set
a strike deadline of Thursday, June 29, after three days of
conciliation talks failed to produce a tentative agreement
with gallery management.
Job security is the key issue
for 266 full- and part-time AGO employees, who are members of
the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU). Since
2003, the AGO has eliminated more than 120 union positions.
At the same time, the gallery
has raised more than $180 million towards its $254 million
“Transformation AGO” expansion project. Project funding
includes gifts from wealthy donors, including Canadian
billionaire Ken Thomson, and major grants from the provincial
and federal governments.
“The AGO’s fundraising slogan
is ‘Art Matters,’” said Barry Taylor, president of OPSEU Local
535. “Our message is that AGO staff matter, too. It’s time
management recognized the key role our members play in the
gallery’s success.”
The union’s contract demands
include alternatives to further layoffs during the AGO’s
reconstruction, and extended recall rights for all laid-off
employees through to the gallery’s reopening in late 2008.
“We are frustrated with the
approach that AGO management has taken,” said Marcie Lawrence,
chair of the OPSEU bargaining team. “Instead of risking a
strike that will disrupt both the AGO’s major summer
exhibition and the gallery’s construction project, they should
start addressing our members’ issues at the bargaining table.”
On May 11, OPSEU members voted
by almost 96 per cent in favour of strike action, if
necessary, to reach a reasonable settlement. They have been
without a contract since November 2005. Unionized AGO workers
include artists, assistant curators, conservators, designers,
preparators, educators, technical and maintenance workers, and
visitor services, retail and restaurant staff.
- 30 -
For more information, please
contact:
Twila Marston, OPSEU
negotiator, (416) 346-7766
Myles Magner, OPSEU campaigns, (416) 443-8888, ext. 8777.
http://www.opseu.org/bps/general/ago/index.htm
