City Council ratifies new transit collective agreement

Ottawa – Ottawa City Council today ratified an extension to the current collective agreement between the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) 279 and the City of Ottawa – until March 31, 2012. The collective agreement will ensure that Ottawa transit users will not face a work stoppage in the winter months.

“I am pleased that Council has recognised the significant step forward that this agreement represents,” said Mayor Jim Watson. “My colleagues and our Transit Commission, in partnership with the Union membership, have put in place a very positive base for the negotiations on a long term contract. A new round of negotiations is expected to begin in December.”

The new agreement provides employees with a 2% wage increase covering the year of the extension from April 1, 2011 to March 31, 2012. The agreement also provides ATU employees with the opportunity to participate in maintenance work on the new LRT and settles some longstanding pension related issues while referring other pension matters to arbitration.

“This is the first negotiated collective agreement between the City and ATU 279 since 2005,” said Councillor Diane Deans, Chair of the Transit Commission. “This signals a new era of cooperation as we work hard to meet the needs of transit users and taxpayers.”

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For a comment from the Mayor: