Transit workers in Timmins, Ontario, began a strike today after voting down a tentative agreement that would introduce divisions within the workplace.
“Transit workers in Timmins have been among of the lowest-paid in the province, and frustration has been building for years,” said Rosanna Moreau, the secretary-treasurer for CUPE 1544. “One of the main reasons members rejected this deal was that it would mean service workers and drivers would no longer be paid the same. We want to be providing safe, reliable transit for Timmins residents, not helping the employer sow division in the workplace.”
CUPE 1544 has repeatedly sounded the alarm about the city’s recruitment and retention crisis in transportation, as talented workers seek other employment or better job markets elsewhere. Even with the city’s proposed wage increases, some job classifications would remain well below those at other employers in the region.
CUPE 1544 represents 39 drivers, dispatchers and others who keep public transit in Timmins running safely and smoothly every day. The local remains available to return to the negotiations