Museum workers vote to strike

OTTAWA - Workers at the Museum of Civilization and War Museum are prepared to walk the picket line this fall, if the museums' management continues to refuse them workplace fairness and the same protections in place for other federal workers in the Ottawa/Gatineau region.

"PSAC members at the Museum of Civilization and War Museum voted 92 per cent in favour of strike action yesterday," said Maria Fitzpatrick, the union's Regional Executive Vice-President for the National Capital Region. "These 420 workers are simply demanding the same terms and conditions as other federal workers doing the same work in Ottawa/Gatineau. They have no job security whatsoever and no recognition of their years of service in a number of critical areas including career advancement," she said.

The majority of the floor staff at the museums - guides, program animators and hosts - work on temporary contracts. Most of them have been working from one contract to the other for long periods of time. Out of 55 guides at the museums, only six are permanent employees.

Workers at the Canadian Museum of Civilization and the War Museum have no opportunity for career advancement under their collective agreement. There are no provisions that give preference to internal candidates when permanent positions become available. And unlike most other museums in the region, the workers have no protections against contracting out.

The Canadian Museum of Civilization and the War Museum had the highest attendance and brought in more revenue than any other museum or gallery in the National Capital Region last year. Meanwhile, workers' salaries at the two museums are lower than all of the other federal museum workers in the Ottawa/Gatineau - in some cases 40 per cent lower.

Negotiations with the Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation (CMCC) began in April. Talks broke down in August, after the museums' management refused to grant any job security provisions whatsoever to the workers. The workers will be in a legal strike position by mid-September.

"We sincerely hope that the CMCC will come back to the bargaining table, prepared to grant the museum workers respect and fairness on the job," said Fitzpatrick. "If they refuse, the workers will have no other choice but to strike."