Halifax Public Libraries will reopen later this week.
NSUPE Local 14, the union that represents library workers, voted to accept the collective agreement the union and library management arrived at on Friday.
The workers, who were on strike for the last three weeks, are officially done picketing, according to a news release from the union.
A lot of workers voted in favour of the new agreement, but a “significant portion” voted against it, wrote Christina Covert, union president, in the release.
“There remains significant work to be done in future to improve pay and working conditions for library workers,” said Cover.
Ahead of the strike, library management offered to increase wages by 3.5 per cent in the first year of their four-year offer. In the second, third and fourth years, they would increase pay by 25 cents an hour and raise overall wages by 3 per cent.
But the union said that was not enough.
Many library workers were frustrated they were not being compensated for taking on more responsibilities than they typically would, like serving vulnerable communities, helping people who sleep rough, giving out COVID-19 rapid teats and more.
One library worker told our newsroom that he sees between 3 and 4 people overdose at the library every week.
Chad Murphy, union vice-president, wrote about some of the agreement’s highlights on social media.
He said that they will get some of their lowest paid staff on the pay scale, which they’ve been trying to do for years.
All union member will get sick time, even temporary employees, he said.
Workers can also take leave for pregnancy loss.
And workers can choose who their own immediate family is for bereavement purposes.
“I don’t have words to express how proud I am of our membership. They truly rose to the occasion, made incredible signage, and fostered some beautiful and difficult conversations,” wrote Murphy.
“It has been an incredible pleasure to get to know people I have never met, but have worked with for years on a personal basis.”
In the news release, Covert added that workers agree that they are grateful for the support of one another and for the support of the public.
She said public support was instrumental in reaching an agreement.
“Being on a picket line is difficult, but we made more connections and built more relationships with our co-workers than we ever would have imagined prior to the strike,” she wrote.
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