‘Hit right in the paycheque’: Over 400 AGO workers head for strike Tuesday
Posted March 26, 2024 5:11 am.
Last Updated March 26, 2024 1:31 pm.
Hundreds of unionized staff at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) have voted to strike as they fight for better pay and less reliance on contract work.
Over 400 AGO workers, including curators, designers, technicians, and front desk staff, are now off the job. In a statement, the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) said the offer fails to meaningfully improve key issues, including wage increases and protections against contracting out for precarious part-time workers.
“As public service employees, we were hit right in the paycheque during the pandemic,” said Paul Ayers, President of OPSEU/SEFPO Local 535.
“While we struggled through a public health crisis and three years of unconstitutional wage freezes, elite executives made hundreds of thousands. We need a deal that helps us stay afloat in a cost-of-living crisis in the most expensive city in Canada — and the AGO’s latest offer falls short of that.”
The AGO will be closed Tuesday due to the labour disruption, with an AGO spokesperson noting, “We remain hopeful that we will reach a negotiated agreement with OPSEU soon.”
Some striking workers gathered outside the AGO at 317 Dundas St. W. starting at 8 a.m.
The labour dispute comes amid challenging financial times for the AGO, one of North America’s most prominent art museums. The AGO has not seen its attendance return to pre-pandemic levels and is currently dealing with a deficit believed to be around $1 million.
“Many of these workers are artists in their own right [who] contribute to the cultural fabric of the city. Devaluing artists is not how we show the public that the arts matter,” said OPSEU/SEFPO President JP Hornick. “The AGO is sending the message that as a prominent cultural institution, it prioritizes the bottom line over peoples’ livelihood.”
In November 2023, the federal government provided the AGO with a $25-million investment for The Dani Reiss Modern and Contemporary Gallery, expected to “showcase great art while being energy efficient and operate without burning fossil fuel.”
The AGO said the expansion would increase the gallery’s total space to display art by 30 per cent.
