CALGARY – An agreement to end Calgary’s 41-day old transit strike is within reach if city council is willing to show some movement on the key issues of shuttle buses and a wage study for ticketed trades people, says a spokesperson for the Alberta Federation of Labour.
“Those are the two big issues that are still on the table,” said AFL Secretary Treasurer Les Steel. “If the political will is there, this strike could be over tomorrow and the drivers could get back to the job of providing top-notch service to Calgarians.”
Most Calgarians would be frustrated if they knew just how quickly and inexpensively a deal could be reached, said Steel. He pointed out that the union is now willing to accept an increase in the number of shuttle buses to seven percent of the city’s fleet during daylight hours. Previously, they had drawn the line at six percent.
Unfortunately, the city is still refusing to budge from its demand that shuttle buses make up nine percent of the city’s fleet. The city is also refusing to consider a wage study to determine if the mechanics, electricians and other ticketed trades people working for Calgary transit are being paid fairly compared to other trades people in the province.
“At the end of the day, this all about fairness and common sense,” said Steel. “All the drivers want is an assurance that their jobs aren’t going to be put on the chopping block. And all the trades people are saying is that it’s going to be hard to recruit and retain people if wages fall below the prevailing provincial average.”
Steel says it would cost the city only $187,000 more to operate the transit system under the union’s latest contract than it did before the strike. He says that figure pales in comparison to the $6 million that has already been spent on taxi vouchers and the $2 million that the city has spent on advertising.
“Add to that all the overtime wages that are being paid to management personnel and the inconvenience that is being caused to commuters and it becomes clear that the cost of this strike is too high,” said Steel. “The time has come for city council to abandon its hard-line position and start treating its employees as respected partners, not adversaries. Now that the union has made a move on shuttle buses, there’s a real opportunity to settle this. It’s an opportunity city council shouldn’t squander.”
For information, contact:
Les Steel, Secretary Treasurer @ 780-483-3021(wk)/499-4135 (cell)