Fraser Valley Regional Library and CUPE Local 1698 reached a tentative agreement Thursday, averting a lockout that was set to close all 25 library branches across the region this morning.
The deal came together less than 24 hours before the lockout deadline. FVRL had issued 72-hour lockout notice on Tuesday to more than 300 unionized library workers, threatening to shut down services for nearly 810,000 people across the Fraser Valley.
The tentative agreement, subject to ratification by union membership and FVRL's board, is a four-year contract with total wage increases of 13 per cent—4 per cent in 2025, 3 per cent in 2026, 3 per cent in 2027, and 3 per cent in 2028. That's higher than FVRL's previous offer of 9.25 per cent over three years.
In a statement Thursday, FVRL said the new proposal "worked to address the union's stated concern with the third year wage increase while also working to address FVRL's stated concern with a two-year term meaning that the parties would be renegotiating the entire collective agreement again in a matter of months."
The agreement creates service stability for communities and certainty for FVRL and staff through fiscal 2029 on wages and benefits, the library said.
The two sides had been negotiating since June 2025, with the main sticking point being the length of the contract. Last week, the union proposed accepting all aspects of FVRL's offer except the three-year term, suggesting a two-year agreement instead. FVRL rejected that proposal, leading to the lockout notice.
Natalie Fouquette, communications officer for CUPE Local 1698, said earlier this week the union was willing to accept everything except the three-year term because the proposed third-year wage increase fell below what comparable workers had negotiated. The union's two-year proposal "would not have cost the library more than its existing offer," she said.
The tentative agreement extends the contract to four years and increases the total wage package, appearing to address both sides' concerns. The deal is now subject to ratification votes by union members and FVRL's board.
