Saskatoon Transit workers taking job action against city

The union representing Saskatoon Transit workers said its members will begin job action against the city if a new contract is not reached.

Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 615 said starting on Saturday at 12:01 a.m., its members will begin a work to rule campaign.

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This would include not working overtime.

“We believe that there is no alternative other than to act now to send a clear message that we are united and strong in our quest for a fair collective agreement,” said a statement posted on the ATU 615 website.

The two sides are still at odds over one aspect of the pension part of the collective bargaining agreement.

Transit wants the right to be able to bargain changes in the future and not absorb any additional liability.

ATU 615 wants to wait for a decision from a third-party arbitration panel, which will decides whether the city is legally allowed to make the changes to the plan under the terms of the collective agreement before signing.

“If the ruling comes in the city’s favour then we will settle this and sign their agreement,” ATU 615 president Jim Yakubowski said.

“But in the event it’s in our favour then the city would simply sign our agreement.”

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City officials said they’re going to do their best to maintain service levels, but may be forced to minimize services.

Access Transit is not affected by any job action as it is considered an essential service.

In the event of disruptions riders can see service alerts on both the Saskatoon Transit and the city’s websites, using the transit app and by following Saskatoon Transit on Twitter.

Information will also be available on the customer service line at 306-975-3100, but city officials said wait time may be longer due to job action or higher than normal call volumes.