Watch above: the transit lockout has ended after city councillors voted to withdraw a second lockout notice
SASKATOON – The Saskatoon Transit lockout is over.
The city announced Saturday evening it is rescinding the lockout notice issued to Amalgamated Transit Union Local 615 (ATU 615) that was to start at 1 p.m. Sunday.
The move comes after a special executive committee meeting Saturday afternoon when city councillors voted to withdraw the lockout notice.
Ward 1 Councillor Darren Hill tweeted out the news.
Mayor Don Atchison said 105 buses are ready to roll Monday morning and everyone will be able to ride the buses for free until the end of the month.
The second lockout notice was issued Friday afternoon hours after the Saskatchewan Labour Board ruled the first lockout that started on Sept. 20 was illegal as there was a pending application before the board.
Atchison said that ruling “created a large degree of uncertainty.”
“It is because of our concern for our employees, transit riders and the citizens of Saskatoon that we have decided to end the lockout.
“There’s uncertainty, there is concern, there’s doubt, and we don’t want to put the citizens of Saskatoon through another lockout to be told that it’s illegal.”
The city had locked out 330 workers after the two sides could not reach an agreement on a new contract.
The two main issues remain wages and the transit pension plan, which the city says has a $6.7-million deficit, a figure ATU 615 disputes.
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