Management notifies TPLWU Local 4948 of its intention to delay Hours of Work selection, Vacation approvals and Sunday Appointments in 2012, in breach of the collective agreement, on account of Budget Cuts
At the Labour-Management meeting on October 20th, management informed the Union that due to budget uncertainties and potential reductions to branch open hours, management was proposing to:
1. Delay the posting of shifts until mid-January.
2. Post Sunday shifts but delay the posting of appointments.
3. Postpone vacation requests and approvals for 2012.
The Union informed management that a delay in the selection and implementation of hours of work for the 2012 year and a delay in the process to request and approve vacation would constitute a breach of the collective agreement.
The process of selection and implementation of shifts has been a long-standing practice (outlined in the “Hours of Work Implementation Plan for January 3, 2011 to December 31, 2011 Session” that was distributed to all Branch Heads). As members are aware, hours of work indication forms are typically distributed and returned in October, template schedules are posted in November, members select schedules in accordance with Article 19 in November and the master schedule is posted in December, providing members with the necessary time to arrange their work and personal responsibilities for the New Year.
Vacation scheduling is to be done in accordance with Article 23.13 of the collective agreement. Members submit vacation requests in writing each year by January 15th and approved vacation requests are posted by February 7th for the year.
The hours of work selection and implementation process and the vacation request and approval process is important to our members because the timelines allow our members to plan their lives for the following year. Members have commitments to childcare and eldercare to plan around and other personal commitments to try to balance with work.
Management makes Unilateral Decision to Delay hours of Work Selection
Unfortunately, it is our understanding that some managers have already begun to notify members of the delay in the hours of work selection and implementation process. The Union has filed a grievance with respect to the hours of work selection. Further communications will follow as to what next steps the Union will take, as necessary, if we are not able to get this issue resolved.
The City Librarian has proposed a reduction of 161 FTEs in order to achieve a cost savings to the City of 17.044 million. At the October 17, 2011 Toronto Public Library Board meeting, the Board decided to cut 100 FTEs. These cuts will have devastating effects on jobs and morale, exacerbate an already critical staffing shortage and diminish the accessibility and quality of library services. If the cuts to staff are allowed to pass, Toronto Public Library will have witnessed a 17% cut to staff since 1998 at a time when library usage has increased, including circulation, program attendance, in library use and more.
What you can do:
1. Attend the next General Membership Meeting on November 10th at 6:30pm at Northern library.
2. Attend the next Toronto Public Library Board meeting on November 21st at 6pm at the Toronto Reference Library. The Board will be voting on a further cut to the library budget of $7.327 million, which represents a further 4.3% budget reduction and a further cut of 61 FTEs
3. Encourage family members, friends and neighbours to join the campaign if they haven’t already and oppose cuts to libraries, go to http://ourpubliclibrary.to to send a message to City Councillors, sign the petition and more.
