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In a statement issued Wednesday, the union said the gallery is “increasingly drawing on precarious, part-time work and contracting out, which is creating a growing underclass of struggling workers.”

The employees who could strike include curators, conservators, front desk staff, technicians and hospitality workers. 

The union said its members were hit hard by Bill 124, the 2019 provincial law that limited pay increases for many public sector workers to one per cent annually. The controversial bill was repealed last month after furor from unionized workers.

“If we claim the arts matter, we must value the workers that make that possible,” said Local 535 president Paul Ayers in a separate statement, adding that the union is also fighting for fair compensation. “Some of us have worked here for decades. Over time, we have seen the gallery turn toward contracting out labour and increasingly relying on part-time, precarious work. It’s getting harder to make a decent living as an employee of the AGO.”

Laura Quinn, director of communications for the AGO, told the Star in an email that the organization is working hard to avoid a strike. 

“We respect the bargaining process and remain hopeful that we will reach a negotiated agreement with OPSEU soon,” she added, though did not answer questions about how operations would be affected if the labour action proceeds. 

Ahead of the potential strike, the union held a rally Wednesday evening at the museum’s main entrance on Dundas Street.

At least a hundred union members gathered on the sidewalk outside the AGO to draw attention to the possible job action, distributing flyers to AGO patrons queuing to enter the gallery for its “Free Wednesday Nights” event. The protest was also attended by OPSEU president JP Hornick and NDP MPP Jill Andrew. 

The ongoing labour dispute comes after a year of financial instability and controversy for the AGO, which is partly funded by the Ontario ministry of tourism, culture and sport, and considered one of the largest art museums in North America. 

In its latest financial statement that is publicly available, the AGO reported a deficit of more than $3.8 million for the fiscal year 2022-23. During that period, the museum reported roughly 635,000 visitors, well below pre-pandemic levels of close to a million annual patrons. 

Last fall, the organization also faced intense criticism following the abrupt departure of its celebrated Indigenous curator, Wanda Nanibush, with dozens of people from Indigenous arts communities in 91Ô­´´ and other countries calling on the gallery to explain Nanibush’s quiet exit from a role she held for years.

Citing unnamed sources with connections to the AGO, the Globe and Mail reported that Nanibush’s “vocal opinions” on various subjects — including her support of Palestinian causes — had caused friction among AGO staff and supporters.

Following the controversy, the AGO later said it would review some of its governance policies and work on “rebuilding of trust.”