Union says they simply want a living wage in line with other regions
Christian Gammon-Roy
Tribune
Local school bus drivers employed by Alouette Bus Lines and represented by the United Steelworkers Union (USW) are now in their second week of strike action. After an 83% vote in favour of strike action and continued failed talks with their employer, workers officially walked off the job on Saturday, February 21, though they did provide transportation on Monday morning, February 23, in hopes that last minute talks might produce an agreement. That did not transpire, and by Monday afternoon, the drivers took their picket to the corner of Coursol and Front Streets in Sturgeon Falls, a high-traffic area, for more visibility in their quest to earn higher wages. This left buses immobilized, and parents had to arrange alternative transportation for the return ride home and the following days’ trips to school.
By Wednesday, February 25, a notice to parents and guardians was issued by Nipissing Parry Sound School Transportation Services (NPSSTS), stating that some of the routes in the area would be covered the next morning, despite ongoing strike action. On Friday, picketers were paid a visit by Timiskaming-Cochrane MPP John Vanthof, who came to offer support, and agreed to bring up their concerns with Minister of Education Paul Calandra. According to USW, the Alouette drivers are currently earning $18.11 per hour and are demanding a higher wage.
Mike Scott, USW Staff Representative and one of the negotiators at the bargaining table, says the question of pay is the only sticking point in the talks. “We have nothing else that is in dispute, it’s simply wages. It wasn’t a contentious or hard bargaining. Unfortunately, the numbers just aren’t matching, and this is where we’re at,” he describes.
The employer has put a wage increase on the table, but the union rep says it simply isn’t enough. “What we were offered was $20 per hour, which is $1.89 [more] and sounds great on paper, but they’re being paid, frankly, poverty wages. Down the road in the Sudbury region, those drivers at Northway [Bus Lines] which we negotiated, are getting $25.44, the same as two other non-union bus companies,” he points out. Scott adds that the proposed Alouette contract would see a phased in increase to $20, then 40 cent hikes per year over the following 2 years. What USW is demanding is a base pay of $21.10 in the first year, with the two subsequent yearly increases at $1 each. Scott adds that while the nearly $3 increase might seem high to some, he reminds that bus drivers are only working part-time hours, 5 days per week.
