Transit union votes down city contract offer

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This article was published 15/08/2019 (1715 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The union representing Winnipeg Transit drivers and mechanics hopes its last-ditch pitch will overcome any rancour after members overwhelmingly rejected the city’s contract offer Friday.

Members of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1505 voted 92.56 per cent against what city hall had described as its “final offer.” Union leadership, in anticipation of such an outcome, had prepared a counteroffer that was sent to the City of Winnipeg within minutes of the vote results.

The transit union has lowered its wage demands and withdrawn a proposal to lower bus speed limits, but has remained firm on proposals involving improved route scheduling, rest breaks and other working conditions.

“We don’t want a lockout or strike,” said Aleem Chaudhary, president of ATU Local 1505. “We think this is a fair offer for the city and our members, and we’re hoping the city will sit down with us and discuss it further.”

The counteroffer from the ATU includes:

— Wage increase of 1.75 per cent in the first year, with annual increases of two per cent in each of the following three years;

— Citizen representation on Transit’s internal scheduling committee;

— Five-minute recovery time at the end of all bus runs;

— Education campaigns for both the public and Transit drivers;

— Mental health support provision, including peer support training and access to counsellors or mental health professionals following on-the-job incidents;

— Allowing retirees with a minimum of 10 years bus-driving experience to work as relief drivers, at current rates of pay but no benefits, up to a maximum of 27 hours weekly for two-year period.

Mayor Brian Bowman was not available to comment to the latest development in the seven-month bargaining saga, and his office deferred to the administration.

A civic spokeswoman said city hall is “disappointed” in the vote results.

“We will review the counterproposal that ATU has sent late this afternoon,” she said. “We will not provide any further comment until we have been able to fully review this offer.”

The city’s recent offer involved a package extending the collective agreement to 50 months from 48 months, a wage freeze in the first year, with subsequent annual increases of two per cent in the following three years and another two per cent increase at the end of the agreement.

While other civic unions accepted a wage freeze in the first year of their agreements, the Transit union said its members deserve an increase, citing the department’s $13.6-million surplus in 2018.

ATU Local 1505 represents 1,100 Winnipeg Transit bus operators, 350 mechanics and maintenance staff. Their most recent contract expired Jan. 12.

City hall has repeatedly claimed the Transit union has deliberately stalled negotiations, with the goal of staging a strike in September — a claim the union has repeatedly denied.

It’s been more than 40 years since a work disruption at Winnipeg Transit. In 1976, Transit employees went on strike for six weeks, mainly over a pay dispute.

City hall recently removed seniority rights from driver scheduling in what it said was a bid to pressure members to accept its latest contract offer. Previously, the union had banned voluntary overtime and, on two occasions, instructed drivers to not enforce fare collections.

The union executive had been expecting a “no” vote. Local media were briefed on the union’s counteroffer earlier Friday, on the condition details would not be made public until after the proposal had been presented to city hall.

Chaudhary said despite repeated claims by Bowman and the administration, the union has no plans to strike, adding the counterproposal is made in the hopes of securing a new deal.

“It’s time for city hall to fix Transit’s problems, rather than intimidate our members,” he said. “It’s important for them to come back to the table and work out a deal. It’s better for us to sit down and talk.”

aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca

CoW final offer

wfppdf:https://wfpquantum.s3.amazonaws.com/pdf/2019/67534_ATU Memorandum of Settlement 5 August 2019, 2019. (1).pdf|Memorandum of Settlement :wfppdf