KITCHENER -- Unifor Local 4304 members have ratified a new collective agreement with the Region of Waterloo.
The news was announced on Thursday afternoon, with Unifor saying that the vote has brought the strike action to an end.
"Our bargaining committee was committed to addressing the priorities of the members leading into this set of negotiations, and that is reflected in the results. I would like to congratulate everyone involved on a job well-done," Unifor President Jerry Dias is quoted in a news release.
The new agreement includes a commitment from the region to install barriers on every bus, improved disciplinary and camera use language, wage increases and equalization of pay for part-time workers doing the same job as full-time employees.
The agreement is good for three years and four months, back-dated from Jan. 1.
The next step is for the Region of Waterloo to ratify the deal, a move that's been scheduled at a special regional council meeting on Friday at 11 a.m.
That will put buses back on the roads starting on Saturday. If that happens, the strike will have lasted 11 days while the union and Grand River Transit members went back and forth over issues.
