A bus arrives at Sorensen Station in downtown Red Deer. (rdnewsNOW file photo)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

decision by arbitrator will be binding

No Red Deer transit strike as parties head to arbitration

Sep 29, 2023 | 4:01 PM

A strike by Red Deer transit workers will be averted as both parties have revealed they are taking their dispute to arbitration.

This means an arbitrator will dish out a binding decision for both The City, as the employer, and the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU), which represents about 130 transit workers in Red Deer, mostly bus drivers.

ATU members voted overwhelmingly to go this route at a recent meeting.

The update comes a few weeks after 60 per cent of those 130 ATU members voted 99 per cent in favour of a potential strike, and a practice picket in downtown Red Deer a couple Saturdays ago. If arbitration had not been the chosen path, the ATU still would’ve had to hold another strike vote and issue a 72-hour strike notice, but that’s not going to happen.

“We care about our passengers and did not want to resort to a strike,” says Local President/Business Agent Steve Bradshaw. “It’s never a good thing when parties have to resort to third-party arbitration to solve their differences. But this will impose a resolution that both the City and the Union will live with and help to ensure a safe and reliable transit system for our riders and community.”

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Lawanda Ramsey, Local 569 chair, says union members were particularly moved by an appeal from the Red Deer Polytechnic students’ association, which expressed that a strike would be difficult on students.

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• Strike possibly on the horizon for Red Deer transit workers
• Transit union to hold practice picket Sept. 9
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“Our members are deeply motivated to achieve a fair deal with the City, but we don’t want to do it at the expense of the people who depend on us for transportation each day,” says Ramsey.

In a response given Friday, The City of Red Deer says it is pleased with the mutual agreement to move to binding arbitration.

“We know how important transit service is to our customers in Red Deer, and we value our transit employees and the work they do,” says Tracy Bruce, Human Resources Manager. “This decision to move to arbitration allows The City and the ATU to reach a settlement in a timely manner, proceeding with a decision that considers both transit employees and the organization, without compromising service for our community.”

Earlier this year, The City and ATU completed eight days of bargaining and one day of mediation, prior to a 14-day cooling off period which ended Sept. 15.

The union has said workers have been pushed to the brink in their fight for fair wages, fair scheduling, improved health measures and other issues, which include working six days a week and being forced into part-time positions.

“The solidarity and unity of our members at Local 569 in their fight for a fair and just contract is a victory for fair treatment on the job, living wages, and for our riders,” adds ATU International President John Costa. “I am proud of these workers for standing strong and standing together. Thanks to their strength and determination, they have taken the steps to achieve a solution to their dispute and earned the respect and dignity they deserve as frontline heroes they are. Let this be a message that workers are sick and tired of being mistreated, disrespected, overworked, and underpaid.”

Workers’ previous contract expired Dec. 31, 2022.