THUNDER BAY – A tentative deal has been reached in conciliation talks between the City of Thunder Bay and the union representing public transit workers.
The agreement was reached during sessions late last week, said ATU Local 966 president Fred Caputo.
The union will hold information meetings to review the proposal with its members ahead of a ratification vote set for Sunday.
Caputo called the proposal a “fair” deal for transit workers, whose previous collective bargaining agreement expired in June of 2020.
“We feel it was a hard-fought negotiation, but I think we’ve come to a point where we feel we can offer it to the membership and they will vote for it,” he said.
He emphasized that decision is ultimately up to the union's members, who voted 96 per cent in favour of a strike mandate in October. The union filed for conciliation after breaking off talks on Sept. 28, following around 15 meetings dating back months.
The ATU local’s five-person negotiating committee will endorse approving the agreement, he said.
In a statement, city manager Norm Gale welcomed the tentative agreement.
“It’s a credit to the bargaining teams, and the excellent work done on both sides," he said. "We greatly appreciate the diligence and hard work of the city’s transit staff and all city employees during COVID-19.”
ATU Local 966 represents 150 transit members, including conventional and Lift+ drivers and technicians.
The current collective agreement expired in June of 2020. It provided for starting wages of $22.50 an hour, jumping to $28.12 in the second year of employment, as well as wage increases of 1.5 to 1.65 per cent a year.
This story has been updated to include comment from the City of Thunder Bay.
