The Vancouver Island Regional Library has just negotiated a new four-year contract with the B.C. General Employees’ Union from January 1, 2021 to January 1, 2024. Pay increases of three per cent in each year with retroactive pay for 2021 and 2022 and a $500 signing bonus for 2021.
The previous contract was for five years with pay raises of two per cent per year.
Pay rate as of January 1, 2020, for a Customer Service Librarian 1 was $58,855 per year, Customer Service Librarian 2 was $67,839 per year, and pay rates for Library Manager, Collections Manager, Cataloguing Manager and Supply Service Manager were $76,822.
On January 1, 2024 a Customer Service Librarian 1 will be paid $65,918 per year.
This is totally outrageous and the Vancouver Island Regional Library management team has no knowledge of economics in negotiating labour contracts.
In addition, these employees receive an excellent employee benefit plan.
All revenue comes from the provincial and municipal governments via taxes paid by the taxpayers.
Total payroll for 2017 was $12,441,124 or 53.9 per cent of total revenue; total payroll for 2018 was $13,143,542 or 54.7 per cent of total revenue; total payroll for 2019 was $14,605,642 or 58.3 per cent of total revenue; total payroll for 2020 was $14,806,316 or 57.9 per cent of total payroll.
Total payroll costs have increased 19 per cent from 2017 to 2020.
The above costs are totally out of control.
Unbelievable!
Joe Sawchuk,
Duncan