As the contract dispute between the City of Guelph and the union representing its transit employees continues, both sides appear to be blaming the other for the length of time negotiations have taken.
“I think their unwillingness to meet us face-to-face has been … the biggest hurdle,” says Andrew Cleary, the president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1189.
Mark Amorosi, Guelph’s executive director of corporate and human resources, counters that the union has been “unwilling or unable” to bargain with the city and has slowed the process with “lengthy, unexplained delays.”
The previous contract between the two sides expired in July 2013.
Since then, the two sides have met more than 20 times, often with a conciliator going between both groups.
Wednesday, the city presented the union with its latest offer.
The union agreed to respond by noon Thursday.
Neither side agrees on what happened at that point, but it led to a new phase in contract talks – a final offer from the city.
Transit employees are expected to vote on the offer, overseen by a provincial supervisor requested by the city, sometime next month.
“We believe it’s in our employees’ interests … to have a look at that offer,” says Amorosi.
“It’s fair to them. It’s fair to taxpayers. It’s fair to the transit riders.”
Cleary says his members have never discussed strike action, but suspects they may end up off the job regardless.
“With invoking this, it looks like they’re gearing up for a lockout,” he says.
Not true, says Amorosi.
“The city is in no way interested in any service disruption for transit. We know and understand the impacts it will have on the public,” he says.
Cleary says working conditions – particularly the time allotted for washroom breaks and the access to washrooms at major transit hubs – are among the issues yet to be resolved between the two sides.
Under the expired contract, drivers – approximately 170 of the 205 workers belonging to ATU Local 1189 – earned $26.05 per hour.
