Saskatoon transit union dealing with emotion of 4-year 'ordeal' before next round of bargaining
Transit union president Jim Yakubowski says vote has caused tension among membership
After a four-year dispute, the contract deal between Saskatoon's transit union and the city administration is done.
But with a close result in last week's union vote and a new agreement due in March, union president Jim Yakubowski says there's still work to be done.
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"Not a significant number of people are overly enthused with what's transpired and so there's work to be done by both the employer and ourselves to find a way to move forward," he said.
Members of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 615 started job action on Nov. 12, leading to disruptions and cancellations to the city's bus service due to a ban on overtime.
Workers had previously rejected the city's contract offers because of changes to the pension plan.
Offer accepted
Last Tuesday, however, the membership voted 55.83 per cent in favour of accepting it, ending a four-year contract dispute during which drivers did not have a collective bargaining agreement.
The new deal includes a 10 per cent wage increase, as well as the pension plan changes they had been protesting through the job action.
Yakubowski believes the long duration of the dispute, and the allure of back pay in the lead up to the holiday season, could have played a role in changing some members' minds.
He expects bus drivers will receive between $10,000 and $12,000 in retroactive pay before Christmas Day.
"They were all given those figures and I don't know that it swayed everybody, but certainly when you see that number in front of you, and you know that you're working 2012 wages, then I'm sure it was a contributing factor in some aspect," said Yakubowski.
Mixed feelings among membership
The union president said his personal feelings about the agreement were mixed but he accepted the result of the membership's vote.
Although the new deal was only ratified last week, the length of time it took to reach an agreement means it will expire again in March.
Yakubowski said the union's bargaining committee would seek more input from members before the next round of negotiations.
For now, he said it would be premature to comment on how the union plans to approach the next contract.
"There is tension. There is significant emotions attached to this four-year ordeal," he said.
"And it's obvious that we're almost split on whether this last offer was good or not, so I think as time goes on we'll move forward with that and look to the future."
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.