City locks out Saskatoon Transit workers

Watch above: Saskatoon Transit riders left scrambling for transportation after city locks out workers

SASKATOON – Locked out. The City of Saskatoon has held true to its word and locked out transit workers at 9 p.m. Saturday evening.

The move leaves thousands of transit riders scrambling to find alternative transportation.

Although the lockout officially begins at 10 p.m., the drivers were pulled off the road at 9 p.m.

One of the main sticking points between the city and Amalgamated Transit Union Local 615 (ATU 615) is the pension plan.

The city’s final contract offer was rejected by over 90 per cent of members who voted.

City officials have stated there is a $6.7-million deficit in the general pension plan and want to make changes that includes increasing contributions from both parties.

The union says the city has been warping the facts.

“The evidence that we’ve received from our legal counsel suggests that we have an $80 million surplus in our plan,” said ATU 615 president Jim Yakubowski.

“And that can be simply dealt with by re-filing a valuation tomorrow, which would eliminate what the city is stating,” he explained.

City council is meeting Monday to discuss whether to pass a bylaw to implement the necessary changes for all members of the general pension plan.

ATU 615 says if the city is allowed to cap their contributions, there would be no guarantee that when members retire, benefits promised today would be there in the future.

Also at issue is wages, with the city offering a 10 per cent increase over four years.

Yakubowski says that would keep transit drivers at the bottom of the scale compared to other western Canadian cities.

In a release Saturday evening, city officials said the union was asking for a 22.5 per cent increase over five years.

“They are now asking for much more than what they were willing to settle for in December 2013,” said Marno McInnes, the city’s director of human resources.

“This is a dramatic shift in ATU’s position from earlier this year and is very disappointing. So talks have concluded and we are preparing for a lockout.”

There has been no comment from the union on the wage demands.

The University of Saskatchewan has issued alternative transportation options. Officials said capacity will be increased on campus parking lots and will open an extra parking lot for students on Innovation Blvd.

The university is also recommending the ride match service “UCommute.”

People gathered outside City Hall Saturday night to protest the lockout. Dailen Yackobeck even chained himself to the front doors.

“What am I going to do? I mean, a lot of students, university students, they need their education, and so do I,” he explained.

Access Transit is not affected by the lockout as it is deemed an essential service.