SASKATOON – Transit riders in Saskatoon may have to look for another way to get around starting Saturday evening after the city served lockout notice to its workers.
City officials say they were forced to issue the notice after 11 months of bargaining and members of Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 615 members rejecting what the city calls its final offer.
That offer was rejected by over 90 per cent of ATU 615 members who voted on the contract.
Read more: Saskatoon Transit union rejects city’s final offer
“The decision was difficult and not taken lightly, but we need a contract,” said Marno McInnes, director of human resources for the city.
If a new deal is not reached, buses will stop running after 9 p.m. Saturday.
McInnes said the move was not taken lightly but was driven by financial pressures.
At issue is the general pension plan, which the city says is facing a $6.7-million deficit.
ATU 615 president Jim Yakubowski told Global News the pension plan is a significant issue for its members.
The city wants to address the deficit by increasing contributions from both sides and making changes to the plan to address the problem.
Read more: Pension plan unsustainable: City of Saskatoon
McInnes stated the other eight unions that participate in the plan have reached agreements to address the deficit.
“We have a responsibility to protect the pension plan for the other 2,150 employees and eight other unions that are already on board,” said McInnes.
“We have promised that the plan will be there when they need it, and we will keep that promise.”
The other issue is wages. The city is offering a 10 per cent increase over four years, an increase Yakubowski said would keep transit drivers at the bottom of the scale compared to other western Canadian cities.
While no new talks are scheduled, Yakubowski said they are prepared to bargain in the hopes of reaching a new collective agreement.
Access Transit will not be affected as it has been deemed an essential service.
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