Paul Moist presented a downpayment on a strike support donation for Ottawa transit workers before a rally of a hundred picketers on the 42nd day of their strike.
“We’re here to support you and ATU has always supported us,” Moist said. “We’re here because if Mayor Larry O’Brien can get these concessions from you, then employers are going to be looking for concessions from CUPE members too - in all cities across Canada.”
Moist quipped that the strike - over management demands to change scheduling rules that have been in place for ten years - should really be called the Larry O’Brien strike.
He noted that OC Transpo drivers earn less than drivers in Canada’s eight largest cities and that these same cities confer smaller shift spreads and guarantee more hours of work than Ottawa.
ATU Vice-President Randy Graham rubbished reports today quoting OC Transpo officials claiming it will take two months to restore full bus service when the strike ends.
“We had a strike in 1996 and when it was over we had buses back on the street within two days,” he said.