Watch above: Frustrated bus riders discuss union formation
SASKATOON – Over 20 people gathered for a meeting Sunday to discuss the possibility of forming a bus rider union.
Many who attended the meeting expressed their frustration with Saskatoon Transit’s system.
“There are a lot of barriers for transit riders that make it a less organized group in terms of taking collective action like this,” said Tracey Mitchell, meeting co-organizer.
Bus-rider unions exist in Vancouver and Los Angeles as non-profit organizations. Their aim is to improve transit services.
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Mitchell said the meeting was successful and many who attended stepped up and volunteered to take on leadership roles.
She said their first goal is to grow their membership and they plan to create pamphlets to hand out on buses.
Meeting attendees discussed their current frustrations and posted possible solutions on bulletin boards. They also voted on a union name: “Bus Riders of Saskatoon.”
All this comes amidst stalled contract negotiations between the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 615 and the City of Saskatoon. A current backlog of broken down buses means direct routes have been cancelled, over-crowded and riders’ frustration is boiling over.
Several people at the meeting said recent incidents have shaken peoples’ faith in city transit.
A nine-year-old boy recently stole a city bus and took it for a joy ride, hitting another bus and a parked vehicle; the night before the incident, the fire department was called to a bus engine fire.
“With the changes to the routes, and then this fall with the cutbacks, it’s made me leery of getting back on the bus again,” said Sarah Binnie, the meeting’s co-organizer.
The next meeting date has not been set yet but organizers plan to keep meeting over the next few months.
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