Durham Transit Strike To End Soon

On Sunday it was announced that the union representing transit workers had reached a tentative agreement with Durham Region Transit officials after 24-hours of negotiations, meaning an end to the 24-day strike may be imminent.

Buses should be back on the roads by Thursday, according to published reports. Service is expected to resume once the deal is ratified by the Durham Council and union members.

“This is great news for Durham Region Transit Commission, and more importantly, for our riders,” Durham Regional Chair and Chair of DRT Commission, Roger Anderson said in a statement Sunday.

“I look forward to presenting the settlement as soon as possible to Durham Region Transit Commission, and then obtaining ratification by Durham Regional Council.”

The Canadian Auto Workers Union 222 represents some 300 workers in the Durham system, including drivers, mechanics and support workers.

The dispute centred around employee benefits, cost of living adjustments, contracting out and part-time workers.

Human Resources Commissioner Garth Johns wouldn’t divulge the details of the agreement, but said the difficulty in the negotiations was trying to balance the best interests of the union with the best interests of taxpayers.

“The issues … revolved around retirees’ benefits, contracting out, cost of living adjustments, things like that,” Johns said. “I think the union wanted to look after the best interests of their membership and while we had no problem with that, we wanted to respect the best interest of the taxpayers at the same time.”

Approximately 30,000 people rely on the transit service.

Durham Regional Transit

CAW 222

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