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Hamilton bus rider 'very angry' ahead of Thursday's transit worker strike

Hamilton transit workers plan to strike Thursday, leaving riders wondering how they'll get around the city.

City says there's a talk scheduled with the union on Tuesday

Bobby Hristova · CBC News ·
A woman standing at a bus terminal.
Tracy Lakaya, 55, said she'll have to stay at home if HSR workers go on strike because she can't afford other travel options. (Bobby Hristova/CBC)

If Hamilton transit workers go on strike Thursday, Cam Dureng's daily life will change dramatically.

"I don't know what I'm going to do," he told CBC Hamilton.

The 20-year-old said he uses the bus every day to get to class at Mohawk College and to his job at a bakery.

"I'm going to have to take an Uber," he said.

"My savings are going to go down a lot, but I have to go to work. What options do I have?"

A man boards an HSR bus.
A man boards an HSR bus. (Bobby Hristova/CBC)

He is one of many residents who will have to adapt if the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 107, the union representing HSR workers, proceeds with their planned strike on Thursday.

ATU Local 107 said workers were offered a 3.2 per cent increase but compared that to the raise non-union city staff recently received of up to 15 per cent.

It says the current offer leaves workers struggling to keep up with the rising cost of living. 

The city, meanwhile, said it offered a 3.75 per cent increase retroactive to January 2023, and three per cent increases in 2024, 2025 and 2026.

That would equate to a salary of $79,726 in the final year of the agreement (2026), the city says.

The city says 14.2 million riders took HSR between January and September this year. It encouraged riders to make arrangements during a possible strike, whether that be walking, carpooling, carshare, cabs, bike share, e-scooters or other options.

Lora Fontana, executive director of human resources at the city, told reporters on Monday there's a scheduled talk between the city and the union on Tuesday. 

Resident with fixed income 'can't take cabs'

While Dureng said he'll have to dip into his savings to keep commuting to work, 55-year-old Tracy Lakaya said she won't be able to afford many other options.

"I can't take cabs on a fixed income … I can't walk much, I have a bad back," said Lakaya, who receives money through the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP).

"I'd have to stay home."

Standing next to her bags full of groceries at the bus stop, Lakaya said she's "very angry" and has called the city to have her voice heard.

A bus arrives at the downtown terminal in Hamilton.
A bus arrives at the downtown terminal in Hamilton. (Bobby Hristova/CBC)

Acting city manager Carlyle Khan said in a Monday afternoon media briefing there are no plans to make other commuting options cheaper or more accessible, saying it's still "early days."

That said, he noted the city will work with all departments to ease the impact on the community.

Lakaya said on the one hand, she feels transit workers do deserve more money. 

"This is horrible, these guys deserve more," she said. "They're the nicest people, they take you from A to B."

On the other hand, she thinks HSR should be an essential service, which means they wouldn't be able to strike.

"I'm more on their side than the city's side."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bobby Hristova

Journalist

Bobby Hristova is a journalist with CBC Marketplace. He's passionate about investigative reporting and accountability journalism that drives change. He has worked with CBC Hamilton since 2019 and also worked with CBC Toronto's Enterprise Team. Before CBC, Bobby worked for National Post, CityNews and as a freelancer.

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