On November 16th, the first day of London’s first transit strike in almost three decades had a mild affect on the commute for Londoners, according to London police. Those who usually take the bus were forced to walk, take a taxi, bike, carpool or work from home. Taxi companies in the city stated that they were prepared for more calls, but they didn’t come. People seem like they were prepared for the strike and have adapted to alternative modes of transportation so far, but the question is how long will this last and how did we get to this point?
Last-ditch efforts to avert a bus strike broke down the morning of November 15th before the strike occurred and no new talks are scheduled. At a news conference on the 15th of November, Mayor Anne Marie DeCicco-Best stated the London Transit Commission (LTC) offer was “more than fair,” at a time when London has Canada’s second-highest unemployment rate. Later, the LTC released documents showing it had offered the union a 9% increase during a three period, including an 8.3% wage hike and improved dental, and disability benefits, and working conditions. The LTC claims that the union demanded a 20% increase in wages and benefits, during the three years. DeCicco-Best slammed the demands as irresponsible, with the city still mired in a recession. DeCicco stated; “These numbers are staggering, I have people who have trouble putting food on the table, who have trouble finding a place to live”.
On the other side of the table Pat Hunniford, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 741, said it was the LTC management that refused to budge. “We made some pretty big concessions from where we started,” he stated. Hunniford said the 20% increase in wages and benefits demanded by the union was an “old” offer, although the union made a verbal offer closer to 12% by the time talks broke off. He said the union’s wage demands were flexible and the two sides were only about 50 cents apart before coming to terms. While the talks stalled on benefit issues, including short-term disability and the dental plan. Hunniford said even with the union demands, the LTC workers are well behind their counterparts in other cities in wages and benefits. Hunniford stated; “it comes down down to how long the citizens will tolerate this and when the city hall will step in to stop this.” About the only thing the two sides agree on, is that the strike will cause hardship for thousands of students, seniors and working people who rely heavily on the transit system.
With no talks scheduled it’s tough to say how long the strike may last so the city has set up some alternative programs to help people get around:
Both the University of Western Ontario and Fansawe College, whose students pay mandatory fees for LTC bus passes, are putting contingency plans into place. Here are the websites they have set up to pertaining to the strike.
The University of Western Ontario
(Most of the information for this article came from London Free Press article LTC update: Strike is on by Sun Media dated Novemeber 16th)