Saskatoon Transit union accepts city's contract offer

Members of the union representing Saskatoon Transit workers have accepted the city administration's contract offer. 

• Charlie Clark hopeful a tentative transit agreement will be approved Tuesday
• Tentative agreement doesn't end Saskatoon Transit cancellations

The Amalgamated Transit Union Local 615 announced that 55.83 per cent of members voted in favour of accepting the deal at a special meeting on Tuesday night.

"I think there are various factors that played into this," said union local president Jim Yakubowski. "Members are working on 2012 wages and there's substantial back-pay owed to our members, so there are contributing factors that led to members voting the way that they did."

Last week, the union announced it had reached a tentative agreement with the City of Saskatoon after the latest round of bargaining.

Yakubowski said the deal that was accepted was "virtually the same" that had been offered by the city since 2012. 

Moving forward

Now, the union is focusing on negotiating its new collective agreement and moving forward.

"There's still work to be done, in terms of raising morale and putting these issues behind us," he said. "And making sure our members are paid accordingly in the future for the work that they do."

In the collective agreement, Access Transit drivers will be paid the same as bus drivers by 2019.

"That's a major achievement for that segment of workers," he said. 

The deal will now need to be approved by city council. Mayor Charlie Clark told the media Wednesday that council is holding a special meeting for that on Thursday.

Long time waiting

Workers haven't had an agreement in place since 2012.

The labour scuffle peaked in 2014 when the city locked out transit workers. The lockout was then deemed illegal by the provincial Labour Relations Board.

Issues around the workers' pension plan have stood in the way of an agreement.

Job action began on Nov. 12 after the union implemented "work to rule" and placed an overtime ban on its membership.

"I know the community has faced a lot of stress — the uncertainties and the hardships of first, the lockout, and then now some ongoing labour disruption," Clark said. "I'm most pleased that this will be a chance to bring more certainty and predictability back to our residents." 

4-year dispute: a timeline

• Dec. 31, 2012: Two-year collective bargaining agreement between the city and union ends.
• May 9, 2014: 94 per cent of the members of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 615 voted against the city's final contract offer. The sticking point relates to the pension plan, which remains the dividing issue throughout the dispute.
• Sept. 20, 2014: Following 11 months of negotiations, the City of Saskatoon enforces a lockout that lasts four weeks, ending when drivers returned to work on Oct. 20.
• Oct. 17, 2014: Saskatchewan Labour Relations Board rules the Saskatoon Transit lockout was illegal. It says an unresolved, unfair labour practice case was before the board at the time the lockout was issued. It orders the city administration to lift the lockout and pay compensation to union members.
• Dec. 10, 2015: City announces it will pay $651,000 in compensation for the illegal lockout.
• March 9, 2016: Workers ditch uniforms for a week to raise awareness about the contract dispute.
• Sept. 10, 2016: Dozens of people attend a Saskatoon rally to show support for the city's bus drivers. Negotiations between the city and the union continue.​
• Sept. 16, 2016: Union serves 24-hour strike notice. Negotiations stall after the strike deadline passes, but the two sides are back at the negotiating table by Sept. 22.
• Sept. 25, 2016: Union rejects the city's latest offer but vows no job action while talks continue.
• Nov. 12, 2016: Union launches job action, issuing a work-to-rule order and an overtime ban. Union says it has "no alternative." City starts reducing some bus routes, leading to ongoing cancellations and overcrowding throughout November and December. 
• Nov. 14, 2016: City rejects union proposal, with Clark saying the city can't "in good conscience" accept the proposal.
• Dec. 9, 2016: Union and the city reach a tentative agreement after their latest rounds of bargaining.