It's a call to get back to the bargaining table from Saskatoon public library workers who rallied for higher wages today for the second time in two months.

Dolores Douglas, CUPE 2669 president, said not enough has changed since last month.

"We were able to have one day of bargaining, and we do feel like things are starting to be understood by the administration," Douglas said outside City Hall.

"But it's not happening quick enough. We also have two days that we want to bargain that we have not heard back yet from the employers."

CUPE public library workers, who haven't had a contract since March 2010, brought hundreds of postcards signed by community members who support higher wages to give to the library board at the rally.

"So we invited them here today. I don't see them so I don't think that they're going to be coming, but we would like to get these postcards to them to let them know that the community at large is really supportive of a strong library," said Douglas.

Douglas points to how library pages are the lowest paid city employees in Saskatoon.

Their starting wage is less than $10 an hour, and the union is asking it be raised to $12 an hour.

"These people are sometimes the sole breadwinners of their family, and how can you make a living on that?"

In a Star Phoenix advertisement, the Saskatoon Library Board outlines its current offer and states "settling this contract is a priority for the Library Board."
 
However, a call to the board was not returned on Monday.

bmcadam@rawlco.com

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