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GO Transit buses will remain parked until at least the end of the week, Metrolinx confirmed on Tuesday night, saying the next negotiations in the labour battle will take place on Friday.
“Metrolinx continues to bargain in good faith and is pleased the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) leadership will be returning to the negotiating table on Friday, November 11 for the 21st bargaining session since April 2022,” Metrolinx spokesperson Anne Marie Aikins told CityNews on Tuesday.
“Metrolinx remains hopeful an agreement can be reached to welcome back our ATU colleagues and get our GO buses back on the road for our customers.”
GO Transit bus service was suspended for a third straight day on Wednesday as striking drivers returned to the picket lines. The ATU said strikes will continue until the contract is resolved.
Metrolinx, the transit operator, and the ATU Local 1587 representing 2,200 striking workers, including bus operators and station attendants, failed to agree to a new deal over the weekend.
ATU President John Di Nino said they are prepared to meet with Metrolinx as early as Wednesday for negotiations, but Metrolinx has asked to meet on Friday.
“We remain concerned about the unnecessary delays by Metrolinx and the impact to riders,” said Di Nino.
The union says Metrolinx did not put forward a proposal Sunday that addressed key bargaining concerns, including a commitment to hire more full-time workers and protections against contracting work to outside companies.
Manny Sforza, International Vice President of ATU, calls a last minute proposal of consultation from Metrolinx “outrageous.”
“We came back with our work done,” says Sforza. “Metrolinx sat at the table 13 hours before a deadline and proposed four more weeks of consultation with our members.”
Metrolinx says the union tabled new issues in weekend negotiations that couldn’t be addressed before Monday’s strike deadline.
The workers had originally planned to strike on Oct. 31 but pushed back the date in order to vote on the most recent offer. The workers rejected the offer, with 81 per cent voting against it and in favour of strike action.
Both sides have said they’re willing to return to the table to reach an agreement. The union has been without a contract since April and says their main sticking points have been safety and job security.
The union members picketed in front of Union Station on Monday. Members attended a rally Tuesday morning at the Willowbrook rail Maintenance Facility in Etobicoke.
GO train service and the UP Express continue to operate normally.
-- With files from The Canadian Press and Michelle Mackey
