A tentative agreement has been reached by both parties
Belleville Transit will see no interruptions today after the supposed strike action by workers from Unifor Local 1839 has been called off. Unifor's bargaining committee signed a tentative agreement with Belleville Transit before the April 1 deadline, therefore preventing the strike action.
Chris Macdonald, assistant to the Unifor National President, congratulated the committee for their hard work on the "fair settlement."
"Front-line transit workers in Bellville have reached a fair settlement that respects the hard work and vital services they provide to the community," said MacDonald.
Meanwhile, Belleville Mayor Mitch Panciuk said he was "very pleased" with the development, before also extending his gratitude to the negotiating team.
"I am very pleased that a tentative agreement has been reached that we feel supports our Transit drivers while respecting our city taxpayers," he said in a statement. "I would like to thank the negotiating team for their commitment to coming up with a tentative agreement that worked for both parties. We know many residents were concerned that today’s transit service would be interrupted, and they will be pleased to know this has been resolved."
Details of the agreement will be released after a ratification vote that is scheduled next week, according to Unifor's statement.
Read more: Strike action looms for B.C. employer
Unifor, Canada's largest union in the private sector, has 45 transit workers rendering services for Belleville Transit.
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These workers voted unanimously on March 16 to carry out a strike if a "fair contract" will not be agreed upon between the union and the employer.
"Seeking concessions from front-line workers is shameful," said Lana Payne, Unifor National Secretary-Treasurer. "Transit workers have earned a fair contract and we will accept nothing less."
The previous collective agreement for Local 1389 expired on March 31, 2021, according to Unifor. A one-year rollover agreement was signed amid the pandemic to prevent layoffs and keep the employees working for 40 hours a week.
"Despite the risk, transit workers showed up to ensure that Belleville-area residents could get to work and medical appointments and wherever else they needed to go during the pandemic," said Doug Kelley, president of Local 1839.
Unifor represents 315,000 workers in every major sector of the economy. It pushes for the rights of workers, and advocates for equality and social justice in the workplace.