Libraries across the Lower Mainland are going to be dark and devoid of life this weekend after the Fraser Valley Regional Library announced a 72-hour lockout notice on Tuesday (March 3).
The notice comes after a failure to meet an agreement in the lengthy contract negotiation with CUPE 1698, which represents more than 300 library workers in the Fraser Valley.
Negotiations have been ongoing since June 2025, but no actual bargaining has taken place since November.
Using a mediator appointed by the Labour Relations Board, the two sides were able to produce the latest offer of a three-year deal that would increase general wages by four per cent for 2025, three per cent for 2026, and 2.25 per cent for 2027.
CUPE 1698 president Laurie Dyck said the union was prepared to agree to these improvements, but took issue with the length of the contract and wanted a shorter deal.
After some back-and-forth offers, FVRL CEO Scott Hargrove said the two sides were unable to come to a consensus over agreement length, and the union declined to accept the invitation to reconsider mediation.
“This was a significant reversal from bargaining table discussions where a three-year agreement had been proposed by both parties and where the union knew that a two-year agreement was not possible because FVRL would be forced to bargain a new agreement with a new board unfamiliar with FVRL bargaining,” Hargrove said.
As a result of these stalled negotiations, all FVRL locations are now facing a lockout set to take effect at 8:43 a.m. this Friday (March 6).
This is a move that Dyck said was unexpected and needlessly puts countless B.C. residents at risk.
“CEO Scott Hargrove and the library’s board of directors have chosen to escalate this dispute instead of sitting down to negotiate a fair agreement,” Dyck said.
“They are threatening to suspend library services in an effort to force workers to accept a contract that falls short of regional standards. Their decision will hurt workers, families, and some of the most vulnerable members of our communities.”
During the lockout, FVRL’s eBooks, eAudiobooks, and other online resources will still be available. However, book drops will not be open, with customers being asked to keep their borrowed books or other loaned items until the libraries have been reopened.
Dyck is encouraging FVRL to reconsider its decision.
“Choosing a lockout shuts down dialogue and shifts the consequences onto families who rely on their local libraries as community hubs,” Dyck said.
“There is still time for FVRL’s leadership to step back from escalation and choose a different path.”
Hargrove responded by saying that FVRL acknowledges this is an extraordinary step, but is one he deems necessary given the state of negotiations.
“FVRL remains committed to reaching a renewed agreement, and since November 2025 has expressed to the union that it is open to resuming mediation if the union is prepared to work within the monetary framework of our final offer,” he said.
FVRL includes 25 libraries throughout the Lower Mainland, with more than 380,000 people attending programs across all FVRL locations last year.