Metro Transit workers reject “final” contract offer, set path to strike
Posted Jan 22, 2012 08:44:52 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Metro Transit workers met Sunday to discuss and vote on the latest offer from the municipality, and overwhelmingly rejected it .
Union members have been working without a contract since September 1st and if a deal isn’t reached; there could be a strike or lockout on February 2nd.
Union president Ken Wilson tells News 95.7 the latest contract was presented to them as a final offer, and he says there are several sticking points, but he says it’s not about money.
Metro Transit said Sunday evening that Monday’s transit service will continue as normal.
“Strike not legal until Feb.2, and after 48 hr. notice,” read a notice posted at halifax.ca. “Customers will be advised as new information is available. The HRM Bargaining Team has advised the Conciliator it is still committed to return to the bargaining table with ATU Local 508 to obtain an agreement.”
Metro Transit posted a Customer Bulletin answering frequently asked questions about what would happen in the case of a strike.
“This employer had no intention of bargaining in good faith, they came out of the gate with some type of hidden agenda,” said union president Wilson. “I don’t know what it is, I don’t know who’s running this city, it’s not like it normally is. My members understand the importance we have to HRM, the economy and the citizens. We move 90,000 people a day from the disability associations to the CNIB association, we are very important.”
Wilson says employees take great pride in their job.
“What I’m asking for is my members to come to the meeting, listen to the proposal, accept my recommendation to reject the employers offer and send a strong mandate to the employer that we’re not willing to accept what you’re offering us,” he says. “At the same time, the citizens of HRM can get together, contact your elected officials, council can tell management that we need to keep the buses on the road.”
He adds any talk that the municipality is in a deficit is typical for transit across North America.
“Look what the city is spending in infrastructure, they’re building a brand new bridge terminal at twelve-point-something million dollars, when they could have had a $9 million terminal but they wanted to spend an extra $3 million to get the Rolls-Royce of terminals,” he explains. “They spend too much money and forget about the workers.”
Wilson says the current offer is an insult.
