(rdnewsNOW file photo)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

demonstration

Transit union to hold practice picket this Saturday

Sep 8, 2023 | 4:27 PM

Red Deer Transit workers will stage a ‘practice strike picket’ this Saturday at 11 a.m. outside Sorensen Station downtown.

It was revealed earlier this week that in an initial vote, 99 per cent of those who cast a ballot did so in favour of strike action.

The Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) represents about 130 workers in Red Deer, about 60 per cent of which voted in the initial ballot.

There is now a 14-day cooling off period ending Sept. 15, at which time the union would hold a second vote and then could serve 72-hour strike notice, depending on vote results and if it feels inclined to do so.

In the meantime, they’ve invited The City back to the table to try and hammer home a deal to avoid job action.

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“We are just practicing for now to send a strong message to the City that we mean business and will not stand for their continued refusal to bargain in good faith,” said ATU Local 569-Edmonton President/Business Agent Steve Bradshaw on Friday. “Once the mediator’s ‘cooling off’ period ends, if the City continues its stall tactics, we will take the necessary action to ensure our members are treated fairly.”

The union says the City is forcing workers into part-time positions, working some six days a week, and not giving what they deserve for a wage increase after multiple pandemic-era zeros.

“Our members at Red Deer Transit are the ones keeping the City of Red Deer moving, but the City officials’ continued lack of respect for them is appalling and demeaning,” said ATU International President John Costa. “During the pandemic, they called us frontline heroes, but now they are treating us like zeroes. It’s time for the City of Red Deer to give these workers the fair and just contract they deserve.”

The City said earlier this week it does not anticipate any service disruptions.

On Friday, the City’s Human Resources Manager Tracy Bruce added, “We are aware that ATU is planning a practice picket to take place on Saturday. Union members may participate in a peaceful practice picket on their own time, and The City has no concerns so long as the practice picket occurs in ways that respect our City bylaws and policies.”

READ MORE

• Strike possibly on the horizon for Red Deer transit workers