HALIFAX – Metro Transit workers rejected a Halifax Regional Municipality bid to end the labour dispute last Friday.
But days later the union representing striking transit operators and maintenance workers has another offer of its own on the table.
Ken Wilson, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 508, told Global News Monday afternoon the counteroffer has a way to resolve Metro Transit’s issues with overtime without resorting to changing the way operators choose their schedules.
“City council doesn’t understand that there’s other options out there besides rostering,” Wilson says.
Rostering is the method Metro Transit management would prefer to use for scheduling and it has been one of the most contentious issues throughout the 25-day-old labour dispute.
Rostering would allow managers to schedule transit operator shifts in weekly blocks, rather than the current system in which the drivers choose individual shifts, in three month blocks, with senior staff getting the first picks.
“It was an employer generated rule that was negotiated in the last collective agreement in 2006,” Wilson says.
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“Prior to that we never had any open shifts (shifts not picked during scheduling) and I explained to them that there is a way to fill that without going to rostering.”
The municipality wants to switch the current system because officials say it’s costing taxpayers millions of dollars.
Before talks broke down Feb. 2, the city’s bargaining unit presented two offers to ATU: one that included a six per cent pay increase over three years if rostering was accepted and one that didn’t include rostering but only gave operators a 3.5 per cent raise over three years.
ATU rejected that offer and workers walked off the job.
Talks broke resumed and broke down following a new offer Feb. 8, which included rostering.
A week later ATU asked the city to go to binding arbitration.
Halifax Mayor Peter Kelly and regional council said no to arbitration Feb. 14, the evening ATU made the request, saying they wanted to go back to concilliation.
HRM councillor Steve Streatch explains going that route wouldn’t have let him represent Halifax-area citizens.
“To go towards arbitration,” he says “takes it out of the hands of council and takes it out of my hands to cast a vote as the people have elected me to do on this and other items.”
Some citizens, on the other hand, have had more than enough of the impasse and think arbitration may be the only way to get commuters back on buses and ferries.
A Facebook group called “Take Back Our City” is planning a rally Tuesday night, when council will discuss ATU’s counteroffer, demanding both sides go to arbitration.
The group posted an online petition less than 48 hours ago, but has already gathered hundreds of names.
*With files from Natasha Pace
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