Winnipeg, MB - After more than six months of bargaining, offering the Amalgamated Transit Union, Local 1505 (ATU) multiple proposals, and requesting provincial conciliation support, the City of Winnipeg has now officially notified the union they are at an impasse.
“The most recent counter proposal provided to the City of Winnipeg on Thursday last week continues to make unreasonable and unsustainable requests of transit passengers and property taxpayers,” said Michael Jack, Chief Corporate Services Officer. “While the ATU continues to demand more of taxpayers and passengers, they have not proposed any concessions of their own and have not identified or proposed any lower priority items they feel can be negotiated in exchange for items they feel are higher priority items.”
“We are now officially at an impasse,” said Jack.
The latest proposal to the ATU from the City of Winnipeg was provided on July 3. No concessions were requested of ATU as part of the City’s proposal. Despite making several adjustments to the benefit of the ATU, this proposal was rejected without the ATU taking it back to their membership for consideration.
“The City’s latest offer increased the City’s general wage offer beyond the level originally proposed, removed provisions to allow for the introduction of flexible spare operators, and strengthened retired operator provisions,” said Jack “At the same time as adjusting its offer to the benefit of the ATU, the City has not asked the ATU to ‘give anything up’ such as health or vision benefits, pension, or overtime premiums.”
The ATU’s counter offer last Thursday repackaged most of their previous proposals, variations of which have been estimated to cost taxpayers up to $50 million over a four year agreement. Funding a settlement of this magnitude would require a significant increase to property taxes, transit fares, or both.
The ATU also did not include a specific proposal on a general wage increase in their counter offer, defeating the purpose of attempting to reach a collective agreement at this stage of negotiations.
“After reviewing ATU’s counter proposal, it has become abundantly clear that they have no interest in reaching a negotiated settlement with the City of Winnipeg,” said Jack. “After more than six months of negotiating, they did not include a proposal on general wage increases. Instead, they asked to continue discussing it, which at this stage of negotiating is arguably in bad faith and a clear signal that the ATU intends to strike.”
While no general wage increase was included in the ATU’s most recent counter offer, they have previously suggested a 2.75 percent general wage increase each year over four years. This level of increase would eclipse every single annual wage increase negotiated with every single City of Winnipeg union over the last three years including the Canadian Union of Public Employees, United Firefighters of Winnipeg, the Winnipeg Police Association, and the Manitoba Government Employees Union.
The ATU continues to be in a legal strike position and have undertaken legal strike activity which means their previous collective agreement is officially terminated. The City of Winnipeg will now consider all options available to the employer under The Labour Relations Act to conclude this matter.
“We continue to be disappointed in ATU’s unwillingness to bargain productively,” said Jack. “Unfortunately, a strike initiated by ATU in September is now more likely than ever when they know it will be most disruptive to passengers and residents.”
The previous collective agreement with ATU expired January 12, 2019. Over the last six months of negotiating, the City has provided the ATU with a total of three proposals.