City amps up pressure on transit workers amid broken-down contract negotiations

The City of Winnipeg has ramped up pressure on transit workersamid increasingly tense contract negotiations between the local transit union and its employer.

In an effort to reach a settlement andavoid a full-out strike by busoperatorsthe city has threatened changes will be comingto terms and conditions of employment that govern itsworking relationship with union members. The changes will come into effect Saturday, the city said in a press release,if the union does not ratify the city's finaloffer on a collective agreement.

"This isn't a retaliatory move," said Michael Jack, the city's chief corporate services officer, during a press conference at City Hall. "This move is solely to get to a negotiated collective agreement. This is simply to provide that incentive to get this thing done."

The city and Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1505, which represents about 1,400 bus drivers, mechanics and other workers,have been without a contract since Jan. 12. The union has voted to rejectthree offers so far, with the city's latestoffer on the table since Aug. 2.

As part of the changes, Winnipeg Transit operators will no longer be able to request shift trades or vacation switches for the remainder of the year, and they will be assigned day off groups and schedules when the fall schedule comes into effect on Sept. 1, according to the release.

The union responded to the city's announcement with a press release that indicated the city hadsuspendedseniority for operators and maintenance workers signing up for work andunilaterally changedtransit workers' daily schedules.

"Obviously it's a very difficult situation we've been put in," said ATU president Aleem Chaudharyduring a press conference at the union's headquarters.

"I guess the city finds that it is easier for them to intimidate the operators than it is to fix the problems that they're facing out there each and every day.

"We're very, very heavily disappointed," Chaudharysaid.

The local transit union has been in a legal strike position since May 31, butbased on the city's interpretation, an overtimeban implemented by transit workers in June 2019 met the definition of a strike under the Labour Relations Act.

According to the city, this "strike" by the ATU officially terminated the previous collective agreement, but up until nowthe city has operated under the terms set out in the previous collective agreement.

The city sent out a bulletin dated Aug. 8 to members about the proposed amendments to their current employment terms.

"In the letter that [the city] put out it states that if you accept this, we will go back to the norm. And if you don't, then we will escalate the situation," Chaudhary said. "To me it's unfair labour practice. And unfortunately they have chosen the wrong path to go down."

Labour relations

David Camfield, a University of Manitoba professor of labour studies, said the city is clearly trying to put pressure on the unionto accept its latest offer.

"The city is playing hardball," Camfield said in a phone interview. He suggested the move could actually add to existing anger among transit workers.

"I suspect it may actually blow up in their faces. It's very aggressive what [the city is]doing by suspending terms and conditions of employment."

Camfield said the city seems to be pushing for a settlement before the fall schedule sets in when ridership numbers rise as students go back to school. "A strike would be more disruptive and affect more people," he said.

Coming to terms

The city said it recognizes the union's desire for better working conditions and the two parties remain split on a debate over general wage increases.

ATU previously pitcheda 2.75 per cent annual wage increase."This level of increase would eclipse every single annual wage increase negotiated with every single City of Winnipeg union over the last three years," the release states.

In particular, the city said the union is asking for $10 per hour increases to mechanics' salaries. The union, which has not made its side of the offerpublic, disputes that claim.

The city's latest offer proposes two per cent annual wage increases untilMarch 31, 2023. At that rate, the highest paidbus operator will make over $59,000 a yearandmechanics will make over $74,000 a year, plus benefits.

Its recent proposal modifies a union ask that would allow temporary re-hiring of retired bus drivers to cover single-day leaves of absence, abandonsthe city'sprevious request for flexible spare operators, and gives more union and bus operator input when developing bus schedules.

The city said it has adjusted its offer to benefit the union and has not asked union members to give uphealth or vision benefits, pension, or overtime premiums.

"I hope they take the time to look at the final offer that the city put on the table. I'm hoping the ATU is open and candid with their membership about what has been offered. And I'm hoping the operators will see it as a fair and reasonable offer," Jack said on behalf of the city.

"It's very clear to us that the union was positioning itself to be able to take strike action in September when it would be most impactful to the city and to transit riders. We don't want that to happen," Jack said. "We will await the vote and see what happens."

The city said it will reinstate full terms and conditions if the union ratifies the city's final offer by Aug. 17.