Hamilton bus service halted as HSR workers go on strike
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- Опубликовано: 1 окт 2024
- Bus service across Hamilton has come to a halt as HSR workers hit the picket line Thursday morning for the first transit strike in the city in 25 years.
Members of the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) lined the street outside of HSR headquarters as early as 4 a.m. after talks between the union and city broke down this week.
President of ATU Local 107 Eric Tuck says that as of Thursday morning, there are no further negotiations scheduled with the city and that the union remains ready to return to the bargaining table “at any time that the employer has the ability to improve their offer.”
Tuck says the main bargaining point remains to be wages, with Local 107 seeking increases on par with inflation and the cost of living. He says that over the past four years members have lost around 7 per cent to inflation.
He notes that striking came as a last resort and that members “take great pride in our reliability and what we’ve delivered to the city over the last 25 years.”
The union says workers at nearby transit agencies, such as in Brampton and Mississauga are receiving higher pay 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.
Local 107 has asked for an increase of 21.69 per cent over the next four years, resulting in a base annual salary of $86,860 in the fourth year of the agreement.
A press release from the City of Hamilton says it had 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.
This offer was struck down by voting members.
The strike comes at an undeniably busy time in the city, with remembrance day services and ceremonies lined up throughout this coming weekend and the Grey Cup festival less than a week away.
Tuck says that despite the strike, ATU is still working to ensure that veterans can access free transportation to remembrance day services. Veterans are asked to contact the union hall at 905-528-6418 to arrange transportation.
Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath released a statement regarding the “transit disruption” Wednesday evening that read in part, “I am disappointed that our city will experience a transit disruption, beginning tomorrow.”
“This is a labour town, and I believe deeply in the collective bargaining process and continue to encourage both sides to engage meaningfully in the best interests of transit workers and our city.”
With a strike indefinitely suspending service, alternative options for transportation throughout the city include taxi services, carshare, bike share and the e-scooter program.
DARTS services will not be impacted by the strike and regular service is ongoing.
A joint press conference and rally from the union is planned to take place later Thursday morning at the McNab Bus Terminal downtown.
Growing up in a family of TTC employees, I’ve always treated bus drivers and transit staff with respect, even when half are ignorant POS. This strike after being offered a fair offer, just cost every bit of respect and will no longer be given. If your drivers can’t respect the public then they deserve a pay cut not raise!
Shameful.
bad enough they closed streets for 5 entire days for the grey cup where people who park in front of their homes in the ghetto now get to park blocks away and hope no one breaks into their cars but no one cares about that
now the people making half your wage get to walk to work in the cold. thanks for that
If your primary concern is making a wage, you should not be a civil servant. These people are paid by our tax dollars, yet they charge us for the service. 😂 They're already overpaid and now the service is unavailable. Unions and striking should not be allowed for public sector jobs, if you're a civil servant you carry out your duty. If you dont want to, find a new job.
They make more than tradespeople for barely any training. It's ridiculous that they're striking.
@@zesteecheeze barely any training ? You are ridiculous.
@@MrZwapp you literally only need to get a Coach drovers license. Compare that to 4 years of apprenticeship to end up with the same pay. You're ridiculous.
@@zesteecheeze Were you forced into that industry or did you choose it yourself ?
Coming to work for 13 hours but only paid for 8 hours. The travel time and wages have to increase as non union workers got 4% to 10%. Why is Fontana or Mayor Andrea never mentioning this decision to give raises to non union workers?
lol. 12% aint enough? think about the people who make lower wages than u. our wages dont get to keep up with inflation. we are purely stuck minimum. then take away the buses that gets us to work. i pay 30$ to uber to work then 30$ back to get home thats 60$ a day. u strategically went on strike before the grey cup so the city is pressured to give u what u want. be real, u make alot more than minimum wage. then having to go on strike makes the people below u, suffer. i have to pay rent but im gonna be short cus of uber rides to work. cant even buy grocery. and yall still complaining u dont get good pay. yea lol👍
Why did you talk to students and not the workers that take the bus that can't get to work anymore?
How shame on them due to their horrible service.
They dont even do half their jobs. Heres why you should fire them:
1. Rude drivers
2. Unclean seats
3. Homeless on the buses
4. Overpriced tickets
5. Horrible attitude
6. THIS STRIKE
7. Unnecessary smoke/coffee breaks
8. Over-speeding
Overspeed and then sudden brake...make me wanna puke
Resign, greedy geeks! You’re lucky still have a job, what about those unemployed?
I wonder if people could shed some light on some rumors I've heard.
1. HSR drivers are already the 3rd highest paid transit drivers in Ontario, making $38/hr
2. They're asking for a 23% raise over 4 years.
If those are true, then they're asking to be paid over $45/hr in 4 years time. If this is true, it's ludicrous.
Hello zeteecheeze. Answers for you : 1. HSR is not just drivers, there are supervisors, mechanics, service line workers etc included in this strike. HSR drivers are not the 3rd highest paid in Ontario....they are the 5th highest behind GO, TTC, Brampton, Mississauga, then Hamilton. 2: 23% raise is a complete lie by the Mayor, blatant lies through her teeth. The maximum I believe they are asking for is 4%, 4%, 4%, 4%. Total 16% - MAX.
Brampton transit's top wage right now is $38.05 -- HSR top rate $33.81
Fontana salary is 212k. Per year and she got 19k. In raises. Why isn't anyone talking about it? Yet she won't give the drivers 4% per year. Also the Mayor said she respected the bargaining process, yet she came out and said it's the final offer.
@@MrZwapp In other words, HSR drivers are already paid above average.
@@PaulBeet HSR keeps hiring drivers, why not apply ? Certain jobs obtain certain wages for certain reasons. If you don't like it, f off.
Imagine going on strike because you get paid 50k a year to be a bus driver
You have no clue...
$50.000 it more then that look at the sunshine list for 2022.
HSR Drivers are complicit with many Canadians with invisible illnesses going decades without ANY regular income. So your "union" can look for other work.
Wow. School board union Laura Walton sure seems like a friendly person. It looks like she wants to start a war. I hope she doesn't teach kids. These strikers are very rude and quite greedy.
Greed is all anyone knows in this city
I hope these greedy HSR workers feel good when they realize old people who can’t afford a car on the road who rely on public transportation to get them to their doctors appointments. Fire a whole lot of those greedy HSR workers and hire people who understand how fortunate they would be to have a good paying job. Greedy greedy beep beep beep’s. 😡
When will everthing get back to normal? 🥺 It's not fair to the older people that's very bad. The older people use the bus to go out food shopping and things like that. This hurts me because I take the bus everyday to go to places.
Call your mayor and tell her to end the strike.
@@MrZwapp Yes, we just make a call, and she will end it without dely, right? If it were that simple, I would have asked for that weeks ago!!
Every transit industry is hiring.
Why don’t you give it a try and serve those old folks who are in dire need of people like yourself.
No one cares about Hamilton.
Except for the people who do care about Hamilton. For example, the people who live in Hamilton, the people who live near Hamilton, and the people who are on the strikers' side, not that you'd understand.
Why dont Hamilton just do away with hsr and sub contract .
Lol boy, im going to get heck for saying this ..but at this point ..i want a bus
just increase the fare to ride. it's already proposed to be a 15% tax increase for next year.
or get rid of Trudeau-Freeland-Singh (who have destroyed Canada)
I haven't been taking the bus for 19 months because I have a car since I went to driving school 2 years ago and right now I on full G.
I drove to work, fitness, grocery store and etc.
HSR should not be forcing people to spend more money and burn fossil fuels.
I take the bus an i see the abuse that these operators have to endure. The city needs to do right by the operators an pay them. They carry the city to an from in a safe manner. ITs a shame that the city would do this to there own jus so that some higher up can get a bonus cheque. Its a shame ppl need to wake up an realize whats going on with management.
Support from Calgary, Alberta.
Bus drivers should be accountable for people that might loose their jobs you have done of the must rude operators in the province, greedy unions and supervisors that don’t do their job we hen you report a bus driver
Most ridiculous thing I've ever read. Go do some research bud.