TRANSIT LOCKOUT / NEGOTIATIONS Hello Everyone, I appreciate that this is a very difficult situation. Over months of negotiation, every effort was made to reach a contract with the union representing Saskatoon Transit. The decision to serve lock-out notice to transit was not taken lightly. I am sorry that this will be significantly impacting those dependant on transit. My apologies for not getting this out sooner; I was in Regina for three days with Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association (SUMA) meetings which I am on the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee. I did not have anything prepared as a communication piece as I was confident that an agreement would have been reached before the lockout notice expired. I was wrong with that assumption. I hope that both sides will return to the bargaining table and resolve this issue as expeditiously as possible. This is not a position that I wanted to be in and now owe you an explanation why I support the lockout. I am going to deal with what I believe to be facts and what guided my decision. First I want to provide some links for information to hopefully assist with the service disruption: 1. University Students / Staff - Parking and Transportation Options from UofS: usask.ca/parking/alternative-parking-and-transportation-options.php 2. YXE Share-a-Ride Facebook Group: https://facebook/pages/YXE-Share-a-Ride/1476913725894365 1. Refunds on Passes There will be refunds/extensions. I have not been provided any details on how that will happen. As soon as I have information I will share it. 2. Access Transit Access Transit is not affected by the lockout. Access Transit is an essential service and continues to operate and is not affected by the labour disruption. Normal booking procedures apply. Trips can be booked by calling Access Transit directly at (306) 975-3555. I would be interested in hearing your opinions if regular Transit service should be declared an essential service. This decision is made by the provincial government. 3. Cold Weather a Factor Without a contract now, there is a risk of union job action later, potentially leaving transit customers out in the cold as winter temperatures set in. Taking action now is one way to try to bring the issue to a resolution before it gets colder. Because of the lack of an agreement in recent weeks, we are faced with the possibility that this could drag out into the winter months and see labour disruption occur when it is the middle of winter. 4. Wages All of the unions and associations within the General Pension Plan (the 9 of them) were all offered the same package regarding the pension and wages. This includes Transit. The wage offer was 10% over the 4 year term: 2013 – 2.5% 2014 – 2.2% 2015 – 2.65% 2016 – 2.65% The Citys offer of a 10% increase over 4 years remains on the table. It is the same increase that the other 8 unions have already agreed to. The latest request by ATU adds up to 22.25% over 5 years. 5. Pension The proposed pension adjustments have been accepted and ratified by 8 of the 9 unions. The other unions have agreed to the same pension solution that the City is offering to the transit union. Transit is the only hold out. The City needs to be fair and negotiate the same plan for all unions. A different pension plan for ATU members is not fair. The unions all benefit by pooling their resources and being in a plan together. By holding out for a different plan they also comprise the plan that the other 8 have signed onto. The City’s position has focused on transit’s portion of the City’s General Pension Plan which currently faces a $6.7 million deficit. We need a pension solution that is fair to taxpayers, fair to all unions involved, and provides a good pension plan for employees. According to a release by ATU they have suggested that the pension shortfall is not what has been reported by the city. The reported plan shortfall is determined t by a third party Actuary who is responsible for reporting on the state of the plan and the risks into the future to the plans Board of Trustees. This is not done by the administration. This is then evaluated by the Superintendent of Pensions for the province who requires that there is a viable agreement in place for the plan to be able to achieve the benefits committed in the plan for the long term. If we dont have a plan in place by January we pay $90,000/month to make up for the fact that Transit workers arent in. . Promise: I promise that I am committed to the goal of making a better transit system for Saskatoon and every citizen. I will advocate for any and all efforts that move us forward on it. If you would like further updates, please visit Saskatoon.ca, follow the City of Saskatoon over Facebook or Twitter or call the customer service line at (306) 975-3100. I appreciate how hard this is for everyone involved. Regards, Darren Thank you to the administration, Councillor Clark, and ATU releases where I helped to gather my information.
Posted on: Sun, 21 Sep 2014 22:27:40 +0000
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