Hamilton Transit workers reject offer, will strike Thursday

Hamiltonians who rely on city buses to get around will have to find different options as of Thursday as HSR workers have agreed to strike.

According to the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 107, its members have overwhelmingly rejected the last offer from Hamilton Street Railway and there “will be a legal strike of the HSR transit system effective November 9th at the start of the service day,” reads a press release posted on the union’s Facebook page.

On Sunday, transit workers voted 94 per cent to reject HSR’s last offer.

“Our members were infuriated with the latest proposal as it falls short of inflationary pressures and the cost of living,” ATU Local 107 President Eric Tuck said in the statement.

The union, representing approximately 900 workers, is required to give 72-hours notice of any job action, allowing people to make alternative transit arrangements.

All HSR transit will be suspended in a strike, except for DARTS services.

The union says workers at nearby transit agencies, such as in Brampton and Mississauga are paid better and that they are frustrated some non-union HSR staff received wage increases “of up to 15 per cent” while offering transit workers a 3.2 per cent increase.

“The fact is our members know their value, and together we all know what transit workers face on the job and what they deliver to this City – day after day,” Tuck said.

“Our expertise and skills are in demand, and we refuse to be left behind while bureaucrats benefit with record raises and the ability to work from home 2-3 days a week. Our transit workers were on the frontlines during the pandemic, and we don’t have the luxury of working from home.”

The ATU Local 107 transit union has voted to reject the City’s four-year Collective Agreement offer. The union has set a strike date of Thursday, Nov 9, at which time no regular HSR service or myRide on demand service will be available throughout the City. https://t.co/RXAKGE7tWv

— Hamilton Street Railway (@hsr) November 6, 2023

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A press release from the City of Hamilton notes it has offered a four-year contract which would see a 3.75 per cent wage increase in year one (retroactive to January 1st) and then a 3 per cent increase in each of 2024, 2025, and 2026.

Tuck told CHCH News on Sunday that the last offer which was tabled by the union called for a 4 per cent increase in each of 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026, “plus a market adjustment of 50 cents in each year and 75 cents for our skilled trades.”

Tuck says negotiations between the union and HSR will continue on Tuesday.

City Manager Carlyle Khan said in the City’s statement that he knows how important transit is to the residents and businesses of Hamilton.

“With a strike date announced, the City will begin to implement its contingency plans and we are advising all transit customers to do the same,” Khan said.

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