Vancouver Art Gallery Workers Get Modest Wage Increases

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The Vancouver Art Gallery has a new four-year labour agreement that gives its unionized employees a modest wage increase and new provisions around remote work.

The gallery and CUPE Local 15, which represents 159 employees, confirmed in a statement today that a new agreement had been ratified Thursday.

In the first year, workers will receive a 2.75-per-cent increase plus an additional 25 cents per hour. That will be followed by a 2.5-per-cent increase in the second year and a two-per-cent  increase in both the third and fourth.

The agreement runs from July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2026.

No details were provided about remote work provisions, but the statement said they would "best support the evolving needs of employees and gallery operations."

“We are pleased to have completed this round of negotiations and reached a deal that provides stability for workers and improved services for Vancouver Art Gallery visitors," the bargaining committee said. "CUPE 15 members who work at the Vancouver Art Gallery are passionate about the work they do and the impact it has on our community."

The gallery and CUPE Local 15 began collective bargaining in February, and met 13 times.

Anthony Kiendl, the museum's director, thanked the union for its "spirit of collaboration." 

Source: Vancouver Art Gallery