Wednesday, September 10, 2025
Shortly after a multi-year bargaining period to ratify the last collective agreement, your OAC bargaining team is back at the table and ready for more negotiating. Members at the OAC are represented by Barbara Gilbert and Anne Gardé, in addition to AMAPCEO’s professional staff, elected leadership, legal counsel, and subject matter experts.
Barbara is a seasoned AMAPCEO activist who joined the bargaining team halfway through the previous round of negotiations when another member had to step down.
“I’m excited to see what it’s like from the beginning and to have a more complete look at the bargaining process,” Barbara explains. “The training was excellent—it was helpful and interesting to shift gears and role play as a manager, and although I have experience from the last round of bargaining, the most recent training I received has made me more prepared for what is to come.”
Anne is new to negotiations, but a longtime supporter of the labour movement. Coming from a non-profit background after over a decade at the Arts Council, she knows the unique challenges that OAC staff face, but also believes in their potential and ability to mobilize.
“Bargaining is a very psychological game,” Anne says. “I know our group is small but mighty, and if we think collectively and remember we’re a team, we can accomplish something that will impact not just us but future generations of members at the OAC.”
OAC AMAPCEO members: Strengthening Ontario’s arts and economy
As Ontario’s main funder for public art, AMAPCEO members at the OAC impact projects across Ontario. The roles of our members involve lots of travel, overtime, and working on tight deadlines—all of which can pose many challenges that members just work through, thinking they’re supporting the greater good. But this can lead to burnout and staff turnover, which weaken the organization. Both Anne and Barbara are passionate about fighting for fairness in this collective agreement and having rules of work clarified, as well as fair compensation and flexibility to address turnover issues in the organization.
“It gives our colleagues a sense of shared purpose when we stand together,” says Barbara. “Bargaining is about realizing what we can accomplish through solidarity with each other, and it shows us the purpose of our work. A collective agreement represents what we prioritize, what we’re willing to fight for.”
“We all have something to gain,” agrees Anne.
Arts and culture contribute billions to the Ontarian economy and represent 3.4 per cent of Ontario’s total GDP, also representing hundred of thousands of jobs across the province. In order to ensure this sector continues to thrive, it needs to be supported by stable, compensated staff that can maintain and grow Ontario’s arts.
Stay tuned for how you can help
Both members of the Bargaining Team urge their colleagues at Ontario Arts Council to stay tuned for information on how they can support bargaining by ensuring they’re receiving AMAPCEO emails and checking amapceo.ca/bargaining/oac. “The Employer has made people feel passive,” says Anne, “but I have worked at the Ontario Arts Council long enough to know what we can accomplish when we work together.”
Fair wages, flexible work, and better working conditions are all priorities for this round of bargaining, and Barbara and Anne hope they can count on your support at amapceo.ca/bargaining/oac.