City of Belleville, transit workers reach new collective agreement

It appears there will be no work stoppage for Belleville Transit workers after all.

Unifor, the union representing 45 transit workers in the city, has come to a tentative agreement on a new collective agreement with the City of Belleville.

“I am very pleased that a tentative agreement has been reached that we feel supports our Transit drivers while respecting our City taxpayers,” said Mayor Mitch Panciuk.

“I would like to thank the negotiating team for their commitment to coming up with a tentative agreement that worked for both parties. We know many residents were concerned that today’s transit service would be interrupted and they will be pleased to know this has been resolved,” he added.

The deal will come into effect later in April if it is accepted by union members and City Council.

“Front line transit workers in Bellville have reached a fair settlement that respects the hard work and vital services they provide to the community,” said Chris Macdonald, assistant to the Unifor national president. “My congratulations to the bargaining committee for their hard work.”

Management and representatives of Unifor Local 1839 had been bargaining for months.

The current contract was extended by one year because of the pandemic and was set to expire Thursday night.

The one-year rollover agreement signed during the pandemic was designed to prevent layoffs and secure 40-hour workweeks.