GO Transit Union Says Members Will Strike Monday; Bus Service Set to Be Affected

A GO Transit train sits parked at the Niagara Falls Train Station in Niagara Falls, Ont., on Aug. 26, 2022. (The Canadian Press/Tara Walton)

About 2,200 GO Transit bus operators, station attendants and other employees will go on strike Monday, the union representing them said Friday—with the potential job action set to affect some transit service.

The Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1587 said the planned strike comes after members voted 81 percent against a contract offer from employer Metrolinx.

The union has said negotiations between the two sides began in April and members have been working without a contract since June 1.

Local president Rob Cormier has said the union’s key issues include job security and job safety relating to hiring contract workers from outside companies.

“Our members have made it utterly clear. We will not accept a deal unless it addresses our primary concern, which is contracting out,” Cormier said in a written statement.

Cormier said protections against contracting out are the norm at other transit agencies to ensure experienced workers are safely operating buses. Without those practices in place, he said inexperienced workers can be hired at low wages.

“We have had enough—starting Monday, we will walk the picket lines until we reach an agreement that protects job security for our current and future members,” he said in the statement.

Cormier said the union remains committed to meeting with Metrolinx to reach a deal that addresses members’ concerns.

Anne Marie Aikins, head of media and public relations at Metrolinx, said if the strikes goes ahead, there will be no bus service starting Monday, though trains will continue to operate as scheduled.

She said Metrolinx is disappointed the union voted against its current offer and is instead planning to strike, and encouraged GO customers to plan ahead, prepare extra time for commutes and stay informed on strike developments, as well as GO Transit’s website and social media accounts.

“We will be working throughout the weekend to get an agreement and remain open to discussing ways forward with our ATU employees,” Aikins said in an emailed statement.

GO Transit operates in the Greater Golden Horseshoe region.

The planned strike is expected to come three days after thousands of Ontario education workers represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees walked off the job indefinitely. ATU has said it supports those workers.