Hamilton transit strike possible as union urges workers to vote down city's latest offer

The union representing more than 900 Hamilton transit workers is recommending members vote against a final offer their employer, the City of Hamilton, presented on Tuesday evening.

Eric Tuck, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 107, told CBC Hamilton via email on Wednesday that members will vote on the offer on Nov. 5. 

"Should the members vote to reject this offer, we will likely give 72 hours notice for job action," he said.

In a statement Monday, the city said it requested a "no-board" notice from the Ministry of Labour in September, "in hopes of expediting contract negotiations," which have been ongoing for about nine months with 28 negotiation days completed.

It advised transit riders to "consider what alternative forms of transportation they may be able to use for their commuting needs."

Under the Labour Relations Act, a union or employer must receive a no-board prior to a work stoppage. The city's request put workers in a legal walk-out or lock-out position as of 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, but neither outcome is automatic.

On Wednesday afternoon, the city published a statement from Lora Fontana, executive director of Human Resources declaring it "will not be locking out the ATU members" and that it expects "service will run as scheduled, until notice otherwise."

It also said the city's accessible transit service provider, DARTS, would not be affected by an ATU-related labour disruption.

In an email, Fontana told CBC Hamilton the city's final offer was in response to requests from the union for an offer to present to members. 

In August, 99 per cent of ATU members voted in favour of a strike mandate.

Final offer short when it comes to wage increase: ATU

In an ATU statement Wednesday, Tuck said the city's final offer gives members an average pay increase of about 3.2 per cent over four years. 

"That won't even keep pace with the rate of inflation currently pushing four per cent."  

Tuck said his members want a base-wage increase of four per cent, and a "market adjustment," like city council gave 1,100 non-unionized workers in the summer. 

"My members have taken real wage losses of seven per cent due to inflation over the last two years and we are being priced out of the very communities we worked to build and serve as the working core. By accepting another deal that fails to keep pace with inflation we are on the road to becoming the working poor, and that simply isn't acceptable or fair," Tuck said.

In September, city workers who are members of Local 5167 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees voted in favour of a new collective agreement, averting a strike.

"We all live and experience the same market conditions, and since the City of Hamilton which also controls HSR had the ability to offer those wage increases – we want the same consideration," Tuck said in the statement.

Fontana said the city came to that decision around non-union employees after working with an outside consultant in response to staffing challenges. 

The consultant determined the city's non-union compensation "was no longer viewed as competitive, and a market survey determined that non-union salaries had fallen below the market rate, at the 50th percentile," Fontana wrote. 

"The bus operators pay rates, the predominant employee group represented by ATU Local 107, are far above the 50th percentile in relation relevant market comparators."