SASKATOON – The president of the union representing the city’s transit drivers said talks with the employer have hit an impasse. Jim Yakubowski, ATU 615 president, said two meetings scheduled for Monday will update members on recent bargaining efforts with the City of Saskatoon.
The sides met last week, where Yakubowski said the city presented a proposal “virtually identical” to one issued in September 2015. Members will consider potential job action.
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“Our goal is not to impact the citizens of Saskatoon. We feel like we’re being pushed into a corner. So we will get some direction from our members on Monday,” Yakubowski said.
Transit drivers have been without a contract since Dec. 31, 2012. Members voted 94 per cent in favour of a strike mandate in 2014.
Key issues continue to be wages and pensions.
“The City understands the public interest in this issue; however, it is our practice to decline interviews or making detailed statements related to labour discussions while we try to reach a contract with the men and women of the transit union,” according to a statement from Marno McInnes, director of human resources with the city.
Beginning in September 2014, about 330 transit employees were locked out for nearly a month. The Saskatchewan Labour Relations Board later ruled the lockout to be illegal.
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