It doesn't look like the two sides in the Essex County library strike are going to be back at the bargaining table anytime soon.
The library board meets on Wednesday and Chair Richard Meloche expects it will be decided then what adjustments need to be made to move past stalled talks.
"We've been criticized for not having a meeting, but there's conversations going back and forth between board members all of the time," says Meloche. "You don't have to physically sit in a room to talk about it."
Striking library workers with the Essex County Library system attend the regular meeting of Essex County on August 10, 2016. (Photo by Ricardo Veneza)
Meloche feels it's hard to move talks forward when it seems the union only wants to focus on sick time.
"Regardless of what's been said, they [CUPE Local 2974] came back to the table and all they wanted to talk about was SNA [sickness and accident plan]," says Meloche. "We wanted to talk about the entire package because you don't negotiate just one specific item."
Sick time has been a main sticking point in negotiations since the strike began on June 25 — sending 58 library workers across the county to the picket lines.
County councillors were pressured last night by CUPE leadership to have the library board stop their efforts to put in place a new sick time plan, but council didn't oblige.
There aren't any talks scheduled at this point between CUPE Local 2974 and the library board after negotiations most recently broke down on Monday.
