Winnipeg Transit union narrowly votes to accept city's contract offer
'We need to have that trust and faith built back into the membership': ATU head
After months of tense back-and-forth, members of Amalgamated Transit Union 1505 are one step away from striking a new deal with the City of Winnipeg, after 52 per cent of members voted yes on the city's latest offer.
According to a media release from the union, 565 members voted yes, 520 voted no, and two ballots were spoiled.
ATU 1505 president Aleem Chaudhary told CBC News that it's now up to city council to ratify the deal to make it official, but added that, historically, a union yes vote means it's virtually a done deal.
That said, while this vote will likely have positive impacts for the public, 52 per cent is not a strong endorsement. Chaudhary said the tight outcome is due to a lack of trust with management.
"It is a Letter of Understanding, and in the past … we've been burned," he said. "Our people just don't have the faith and the trust in management to be able to treat [the workers] properly, with dignity and also give them the rates that everybody deserves.
"We're willing to sit down, we're willing to work everything out, but we just need to have that trust and faith built back into the membership."
Contract details
Chaudhary said the city's offer included a number of improvements to working conditions — the biggest issue identified by union members.
"It's going to take a lot of work … but we want to move forward, and we want to save Transit and provide the service that we're paid to do."
He said one of the changes will be analyzing the five worst-performing routes and making them more efficient, "so that operators are not stressed out, and there's time on it to get from one end to the other."
Chaudhary added that once improvements are made to those routes, they'll look at the next five worst-performing routes, and so on.
The ATU also accepted wage increases, including a $200 signing bonus for all members in 2019. Wages will increase by 1.25 per cent in 2020, two per cent in 2021, 1.75 per cent in 2022 and 2 per cent in January 2023, which is when the agreement would be set to expire.
All mechanics and skilled trades within the maintenance department will receive a dollar-an-hour increase.
"It doesn't give them parity, but it does give them a leg up on on where they should be," Chaudhary said.
Amalgamated Transit Union 1505 represents more than 1,400 transit operators and maintenance professionals in Winnipeg and Brandon.
City council could ratify the deal at the next council meeting on Oct .24, or a special meeting could be arranged specifically to approve the contract.