Updated: Sat Oct. 10 2009 15:28:24
ctvottawa.ca
Federal arbitration surrounding wages and other issues that brought about a transit strike in Ottawa this winter ruled in favour of the city Friday.
But Rick O'Connor, city solicitor, says there was little celebration at city hall.
"At the end of the day, (the arbitrator) looked at all the submissions, dealt with what he believed was the ability of Ottawa citizens to pay and also the economic climate," he says.
"So at the end of the day, I think it was a fair decision."
OC Transpo will have control over scheduling, the issue that brought both sides to loggerheads in December.
Wage increases will be 3.25 per cent, 2.5 per cent and 2.5 per cent for the three years of the contract with no signing bonus.
There will also be no new entitlements for sick leave, special leave and contracting out.
The next collective agreement will expire in March 2011.
With a report from CTV Ottawa's Norman Fetterley
Comments are now closed for this story
George from Nepean
It is about time someone throw the taxpayers a bone. I have sympathy for all the problem the drivers face but, hey, if you think your job is that stressfull get a different one. No one is holding you. I work with an ex-OC transpo driver. Didn't like driving, took a night course at Algonquin college and now he's driving the desk next to mine. MY other buddy used to drive school bus. The man was always sick with the stuff the kids would pass on to him. Same deal, took some training and he's RCMP now.
Unions were an important part of our history, they gave us the weekend, paid vacations and most of the benefits we have today. But they have outlived their usefullness. This is not 1930 anymore. If they keep doing this, the province will declare the service essential or even outsource it, like they did to the DriversTest Centres. THEN, we are ALL in real trouble, drivers, public and all.
LAC
So glad this favours the City and not the union. The City was just as bad in dealing with this but the drivers deserve nothing. The wage increases are still way too high!
Sherbie
That is great news!!!! I just hope that they (the city) don't give it back to the drivers to controls the schedules when it times for new contracts. Drivers should be happy about the wages they are getting.
BJ
Thanks alot Andre Cornelier. You are such an idiot. I am one of the people at Merivale garage which voted against this strike. What have we achieved? NOTHING
Mike
As a tax-payer, I'm in agreement with the ruling.
reidjr
Well i did not expect this at all.Maybe the atu went to far and it did more harm then good.
GS
Finally someone saw the light somewhat. The drivers are well paid for what they do and what their jobs require on the education level. Government workers got way less salary increase then they did. Agree with other comments, don't like your job do something else. Stop whinning.
Elena
To George from Nepean:
I aggree with most of what you have written regarding the unions. However, I believe they haven't outlived their usefulness. They have an important role in ensuring that things don't slide back to the 'bad old times' and minimizing the risk of abuse in the hands of owners/management/administration.
sheri A.
Just like to thank the union for First informing its members of this decission before going public...by the way this is sarcassim!....Every one who is soooo happy that the city now has control over scheduels, let me just say that when.. not if.. after all, it is the city councellors that will now be doing this job... you remember, the ones who keep costing the city millions of dollers based on bad decisions? things will not improve but most likely get even worse..... oh and by the way, your O.C drivers are also tax paying citizens ! and have trainning under their belts....do you honestly think that in order to become a bus driver, all you need to do is show your licence???
come on! get real people!
Sylvie from Ottawa
So, it looks like the union held the city hostage for 2 months for absolutely no gain. Way to go, Cornellier.
Who wants to wager that there will be another bus strike in 2011, probably after negotiations break down in late fall?
Jay
sheri A.
In fact there are a fair amount of bus drivers as well council members that are not tax payers in ottawa.
I'm Moving
I'm moving there goes all our taxes going up again. The City can not control the scheduling. They will need to hire more, more and more drivers. This is ridiculous! Wake up Ottawa, the City does not know what they are doing - constant deadlocks in everything. I'm moving!
Frank
Hey Sheri.
You LOST!! Get it?? You and your union boss, Cornbread LOST! GOOD!! You bus drivers ALWAYS whine how tough your job is, but yet, you get 15 minute breaks EVERY HOUR!! BOO HOO!! It won't be long before I don't have to take the bus anymore, and not too soon either. I find the service is TERRIBLE, especially on the 95. Always, packed, and buses are few and far between. I have ZERO sympathy for you people!
AndyBob in Ottawa
Which means the next OC Transpo strike is scheduled for March 2011 when the city will once again be held hostage, in winter, by the heartless, greedy OC union.
john M
As an ATU member, I am very happy with the arbitrator decision because this ruling will show that they made a huge mistake by not accepting the last offer from the city with a signing bonus. I just wanted are the drivers to know that you have put this decision upon yourself. Our President has nothing to loose. We do.. It's time to put a vote and get rid of Andre and Jamie Larkins.
FINALLY ARBITRATION JUSTICE PREVAILS
First and foremost, this has been a longtime in coming to a decision !
Wage increases of 8.25% should have been no more than 6%, but hey these guys need to make a living wage !!
Guess the Senior Guys are not too happy, while the majority below them, are probably ecstatic and look towards a better future !!
Cornellier will probably retire very soon, and accept reasonable buyout, eh André!!
Enjoy limo ride one last time !!
ROBERT CYR
Joe
It's people like frank that I just shake my head at!
You think we get 15 minute breaks every hour...LOL??? Yeah, last i checked I wasn't getting anywhere near that while doing my 95, but thanks for your uninformed lies!
And you think the city scheduling things their way will IMPROVE the service???? I hate to break this to people like you, but the management is responsible for those terrible schedules and this is why your buses are few and far between and always packed buddy, use your head. what do you think will happen now that they have even MORE control over scheduling now?????
dealing with irrational people like this is the only part of my job that sucks, the majority aren't like that though thankfully!
Gabriel in Ottawa
HA !
eat it loser drivers
Joe
Wow, I love the people that say "get another job if you don't like working at OC." It's like me answering you with "get a car if you don't like the OC service."
To say stuff like this isn't really thinking things through, if you have invested 10, 20 or more years into the job at OC and have kids, it's not as easy as just quitting and going back to school and getting a new job for many of us.
As for the scheduling issue, I can't wait to see how the management tries to blame their screw ups on the drivers when their scheduling system saves nowhere near the 4+ million that they say it will, and when service is worse (it will be worse, interlining more routes causes more delays and canceled trips).
The wage increase is still to high huh....yet we get paid less than many other transit companies already, God forbid we have the nerve to ask for fair and equitable wages in line with those in the same industry!
I still would like to ask those that think we are overpaid and do very little work with little qualifications why they aren't applying for jobs at OC if we have it so great!
I love how they are allowing us 5% "recovery" time now as well, we get more than that now. That's a whopping 5 minutes of "recovery" time after driving 1 hr and 40 minutes driving time(that isn't break time, "recovery" time means if you are scheduled for 5 minutes of break time yet you are 4 minutes late, you end up with 1 minute break. The way OC schedules things, we are often late at the end of our routes as person taking a 95 regularly can tell you)
Jay
I'm Moving
While ottawa has issues so do alot of other citys.If you want to avoid alot of this you have to move to a small town.
Ash A
Joe, Thanks for bring some sense to these comments. Reading the majority of the poop that comes out of people's mouths makes me very pessimistic.
I'm not an OC Driver or associated with anyone at OC, but I have been taking the bus 5 days a week for the last seven years. Yes, it's not always on time. Yes, it is crowded sometimes. Yes, some of the drivers aren't too personable.
To the people who are shocked and furious about these facts, I recommend that they look at any customer service industry and ask themselves if the OC is exceptionally bad? I don't think so.
When the drivers get behind the wheel, they are responsible for the lives of everyone on the bus. Think about that for a second. When was the last time anyone got killed from a bus crash? Every day, I read about another fatal car accident.
I will gladly wait an extra 5 minutes for a bus that I know will get me home safe.
Seems to me that all the people suggesting that the drivers stop complaining and get another job are really the ones with the bad jobs who need to get a better job. You don't get sick days? Maybe if you had a union to fight for you, you'd have it. That's right I said it!
Mick
I am so glad we voted to keep our right to strike. Wait for a about two years from now, Strike again.
And for all those who get there saying if you hate your job get another. Well like all other drivers, we LOVE our job, just HATE our employer, big difference.
Keep in mind we are not aloud to be sick. We get punched.
I love my job and am polite to everyone that boards my bus evan do I have been physically assaulted twice. But I know what your going to say, The same as our employer its ok, because we are just a number, the city looks at us like the public.
Jayme
Joe
The probleam is some of you want to be paid the same as other transits around the country but thats where it stops.You don't wnat to go by the rules they have to go by etc.Some transits yes are paid higher then the oc but they don't have the right to strike and have to go by a work rest rule.Many of you are unwilling to give up the right to strike but want everything else pay raises and so on.You have to be willing to bend on some things if you want other things.
Jt
Mick
No one is saying your not allowed to be sick.Its just very high 30% higher then toronto which deal with many many more people then oc does.
Sheri A
I just wanted to reply to Frank.... I am in no way a bus driver.... my husband is. He was not one of the many drivers who were out on the picket line last winter. My husband was hired on shortly after the strike ended. Just so you know, and many others on here who think that all drivers are paid so well: when my husband was hired, he had six weeks of intense training. At this time him and his fellow collegues were paid $12/hr....we are a family of five and my husband is the sole provider in our home. Just like you and many others, we do pay property taxes and bills. All new drivers are on a pay progression for two years before making the "big bucks".... not that you would care about anything regarding the drivers side of things.... Well I guess the drivers will be the lucky ones soon since you will no longer be needing their services :)
Joe
Not so at all Jayme, we would like to be paid like other like sized transit companies IF we lose the scheduling system we had (which we just did). We took 2% less of a pay raise in 1999 to pay for the scheduling system we had. Take that number and see how much that amounts to now more than 10 years later, that's what we asked for. even at the 3% per year for 3 years we wanted, it still wouldn't have caught us up to other similar transit companies wages at all.
Shafted Again!!
Yet again the OC Mechanics Get SHAFTED!! I think im going to apply for a non skilled position at OC Transpo because my butt is getting sore.
WHAT A JOKE
Raymond
The drivers at http://community.livejournal.com/octranspo are now frothing at the mouth and anxious to go back on strike.
That's what they get for re-electing Andre "whats wrong with that" Cornellier. Enjoy your meager strike pay, folks!
I'm Moving
Jay,
I am going to move to a small town. It's already in the plans.
Did you see your last tax bill. If you get one, you got charged extra for Transit. Wait till the next tax bill. By the way, other Transit City's offer more than 6 days sick leave. I just wish that all the drivers would go to work sick and make everyone else sick than will see what people have to say. They will need to wear masks like in China. Let's see if you get on the bus. I hope that do go back on strike in March 2011 because I like reading the stupid idiotics comments that people write.
julie
JULIE a DRIVER As a driver for oc and a passanger with oc all my life. The public always has something bad to say about drivers,what about us drivers that let people stand on the bus above the yellow line to get you home, stop for people running for are bus that isn't even at a bus stop, who stay out in the winter past there shift to help get passangers home in a snow storm, i HAVE A FAMILY TO COME HOME TO IN THE SNOW STORM BUT SOME OF THE DRIVERS BEND THE RULES TO HELP GET PEOPLE HOME. Reading all the coments make me want to say well I'll stay to the speed limit and know one is allowed passed the yellow line if I'm not on time that is OC's problem if there is a snow storm well my sift is over I'll go home let people wait until the other busses get finnally get there. But you know what that isn't me just because some of the public has nothing nice to say and don't know that more than half of the problems with the transit service drivers have no controll over. I will continue to be smiling at customers when they get on my bus and do my job I love.
Mick
JT
Sense the City took over, we are not aloud to get sick, Operators are scared to call in sick because we end up in a program for being sick, and yes operators have been fired for being sick. I have gone to work sick, why because I do not want to be fired and go though what these operators to get there job back.
Jay
I'm Moving
You really beleave everyone calling in sick is truley sick.I don't think anyone is saying there not all sick some likely are.But to be 30% higher then toronto is a very alarming number.Ttc drivers see on the avg 5 times the amount of riders then the oc drivers do.As for them going ons trike they may try but it will not be along strike 48 hours at the most.
b.bob
You know I used to hate unions but
after the eHealth scam union demands are starting to look reasonable.
Denis
I doubt that the relationship between the union and OC Transpo management will change based on the arbitrator's decision on the issues referred to him for resolution. Both sides have to learn to trust each other and take care of business based on mutual respect. Long term, the drivers and mechanics will win because without them the buses don't run.
My 2 cents worth
Tax Payer
All you bus drivers keep saying that now the city controls scheduling that everything will go to hell.
The reason why we have problems now with scheduling is because senior drivers keep rigging it so they all get ridiculous overtime pay. Call in sick, let your buddy take your route for overtime $$$, then let him do the same for you.
Now that the city can schedule things, they can go "Hey, instead of paying expensive overtime, lets just part-time the people who abuse the system and get more help who wants to work!"
Dennis R
While I am a bus driver (not OC)I must say some of you don't know your but from a hole in the ground when it comes to the skill required to drive a bus in heavy traffic day in and day out plus the added stress involved being responsable for thelivesof each and every passenger on board not to mention the rest of the general public out side of my bus.
I am talking about a bus that is up to and in excess of 55 feet long and in some cases articulated not to mention the fact that double deckers are on there way in, thisis not like driving you little car to the corner store.
I drive 56 passenger Coaches at highway speeds (100 to 113 K) my pay is 10.00 hr, no sick leave pay and the standard 4% holiday pay, most holiday's are taken from Nov. to Jan. our slow time, I am not complaining, I love the job and that is why I do it period.
To you drivers at OC who think you are so hard done by, your pay rate is great, payed sick leave great, holiday pay great, and you are bus drivers not scheduale makers so do your job and let those do their job as well, the City may screw it up and then the people will go after them and not you (good thing for you), we have to drive between 2 to 3 hours with no break so you are not all that hard done by, get used to it.
Each and every one of you are only human and must comply with the 16 hr total on duty time and 14 hr driving time and the only off duty time minium is 30 min and you can not be in your bus.
Mel
What makes me laugh is that probably 80% of the people commenting on this site are Gouverneemnt employees and we all know who gets paid WAY TOO MUCH and gets 10 cummulative sick days + 5 familly days + 2 personal days + 1 “Volonteer day” as a tax payer I wonder what people are thinking really…
And wait just wait….Now that management has this in their hands. To everyone who believes the scheduling will improve ha ha just wait it will be 3X worst. I'm pleased the OC drivers kept their right to strike because they'll need it in March 2011. I take the bus everyday and I am so thank full for all the drivers. It must be very hard dealing with immature punks, ignorant comments, dirty people, having people cough and sneeze next to you every single day and to think that this Arbitrator truly believes that 6 days of sick day is enough WOW makes you wonder… Hope all of you transit workers will take a long hard look at your Union Rep and ask yourselves what this bozo did for you, keep your head up some riders still have compassion and respect for you all and thanks for your great work. I support you 1001%
Dennis R
To finish this off. you can not be in your bus for those 30 min,s.
I know your lot is not that great at times nor is minet it is what I love to do as a job and I am sure a lot of you feel the sme way or you wouldn't be doing it but that dose and should not give you the right to hold a City hostage for two months.
I think you blew it when you voted to keep your right to strike as from the few postings from drivers it seems you are ready for another strike, had you chosen No Strike / No Lock Out in 2011 you would have just keept on working and when the arbitrator rulles in your favoe you might have been able to get it retroactive and even if not you would have been paid more than you got from strike pay.
The next strike will go against you I think and you wilol be deemed as an essential service and I don't think that will be good for you at all.
Keep the rubber on the road boys and the shiney side up
Congratulations citizens of Ottawa
Maybe there really is justice in this world!
The selfish and greedy ATU caused severe suffering to the most vulnerable people in Ottawa and were actually not rewarded for their unethical behaviour!!!Their cruel strike was over scheduling and they lost. Remember ATU, there is a difference between what is legal behaviour and what is ethical behaviour. What you did was unforgiveable and the citizens of Ottawa will never forget.
Thank you to the arbitrator for doing what was right. Thank you to the Mayor and City for standing up to the ATU. May this be a lesson to greedy unions who think that by virtue of being unionized, you can get what you want whenever you want.
If there is a mayoral candidate in the next election who would be willing to run on the platform of privatizing OC Transpo, I know I speak for a lot of people .... you have my vote.
Pat
If the drivers take a second to think how much money they have lost because of this strike, it might make think twice before voting to go out again!
Jo
OH yeah way to go! You guys have problems on the 95 oh you didn't see the problems with the 12 that was supposed to be better by splitting the routes by 2 and it is the worst thing they did buses passes every 1 hour and not every 7 min. full packed can even get in. I hate this service I'm buying a car yeah no more @#$$%% buses.
Joe
So many things the public that is happy we drivers got shafted don't realize. when has the city done a good job when they have total control over it i ask of you? Get ready for this new scheduling system to suck big time, they gave us 3-4 different examples that were unworkable (which is why they gave us 3 or 4 different versions). They say their new scheduling system will be more cost effective...LOL??? when have we had the City responsible for cost savings when they get their hands involved in something...how's that LRT stuff going so far Council and mayor???
Then we come to work rest rules. Several times each week there are not enough drivers to cover all the shifts at OC (not enough drivers, but City said they could do with 100 less drivers and buses remember). The call then goes out to the drivers who are already working to cover these routes. Guess what happens when a driver can't do the entire 2nd run because of work rest rules people...no bus showing up is what, or really late bus late at night, does this sound like a good idea to you people?
Joe
Just wanted to point out that it's impossible for one guy to call in sick and have another specific guy (his friend) get the shift at OT rate. we go by seniority, the ONLY way that happens is if the top 2 drivers in seniority do it, other than that drivers bid on work based on seniority, so stop gabbing about this fallacy, you have NO IDEA what you are talking about!
Get ready for drivers providing excellent customer service, yet adhering to the speed limit at all times, and taking 100% of their "recovery time" now that it has been cut to 5% of driving time as well. Guess how late the buses will be running after that happens? If the city wants full control over scheduling, the run times need to be realistic, they can't have their cake and eat it to.
