Hamilton transit workers reach 4-year agreement

Hamilton transit workers, who went on strike for a week this month, ratified their tentative agreement with the City of Hamilton Thursday night. 

Eighty-one per cent of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 107 members voted for the deal, which the local's executive board had endorsed. Bus service resumed last Friday — just before the Grey Cup, during which striking workers had threatened to disrupt a shuttle bus. 

During and leading up to the strike, members said they wanted a more significant wage increase than the city said it was prepared to offer. 

"The membership stuck together and were clear about what they were willing to accept, and ultimately accepted this latest offer for a 4-year deal," local president Eric Tuck wrote in an emailed news release.

CBC Hamilton asked Tuck and the City of Hamilton to share details about what was in the agreement, including the annual wage increases, but did not immediately receive a response from either party.

Members had been negotiating with their employer since early 2023 and had been without a contract since Dec. 31, 2022, the union says. After contract talks broke down in late August, members voted 99 per cent in favour of a strike mandate. In October, union leadership urged members to vote down their employer's latest offer, setting in motion the strike. 

HSR bus driver Cassie Theaker on what it's like to drive a bus in Hamilton while struggling to support her young family

1 year ago

Duration 1:41

HSR bus driver Cassie Theaker speaks to fellow striking transit workers about what it's like to drive a bus in Hamilton while struggling to support her young family.

While on strike, members shared stories of struggling to afford basic expenses, and said they wanted better working conditions, including more frequent washroom breaks. 

Riders told CBC Hamilton they struggled to get around during the strike, with some saying they supported the workers' demands. 

City officials criticized ATU's messaging around the strike, which included a call for wage increases in line with what non-unionized city workers received in the summer. The city said this was an unreasonable ask, since those workers had been under-paid relative to similar municipalities, whereas HSR workers had not been. Workers said they did not appreciate well-paid city leaders telling them what was a reasonable amount for them to earn. 

Local labour leaders told CBC Hamilton they were disappointed with Mayor Andrea Horwath's response to the strike. 

ATU 107's membership includes 907 full-time members and 12 part-time members. The union says about 20 million passengers take HSR every year.