Halifax Bus Drivers to Strike

This week it was revealed that the Halifax Regional Municipality’s (HRM) final offer to Metro Transit workers was rejected by 98.4% of the 700 staff who voted. Metro Transit staff have been working without contract since September 1.

Local 508 union president Ken Wilson has described the offer as an insult, and he had heard rumours from his members that Mayor Peter Kelly was on television saying that the offer was fair; but it absolutely wasn’t. The workers are a vital part of the Metro Transit organization and aren’t looking for a lot – to be treated fairly and respected, which they have for most of the last three decades with the employer.

Wilson says that the biggest concession disagreed on by his members was contracting out, which was the reason for the 1998 five-week Metro Transit strike. The HRM’s wording of this means the employer can contract any work out to other sources except for work on the scheduled run guide. This means specific routes would be allowed to be contracted out. After the strike 14 years ago, the municipality left the article alone until now. He stressed that bringing it up again will significantly affect the maintenance department, the receiver’s office, the Access-A-Bus division and maybe even conventional transit.

Another issue that the members had with the offer was the idea of hiring part-time workers. Wilson says the 2006 contract had a stipulation that drivers would get eight hours of rest between their shifts. His members have accepted that, but now the city wants part-time staff. How can a part-timer’s sleep be regulated? For example, someone could work a backshift at a hospital and then leave to drive a bus. Should a person who hasn’t slept all night be allowed to drive kids to school, he asked. This is completely unacceptable, and he can’t believe the mayor would call it fair. If a deal isn’t reached by February 1, Local 508 members will strike on February 2.

HRM officials say that they are disappointed about the rejected offer. Metro Transit director Eddie Robar says they put forward a contract package that includes wage increases and would allow them to build a reliable and sustainable transit service for the long-term. They are going to step into the conciliator process and are open to meet whenever the conciliator sees fit.

Robar continued that they will try to continue this at the negotiating table without going through the media. They put a fiscally responsible deal on the table that was fair, and they were hopeful that, by asking the union leaders to take the offer to the members, they would get a positive outcome. Both sides are still willing to return to the negotiating table, and HRM hopes a resolution can be had.