Pending Transit Strike [MRG]

[MatsNaslund]

When? The union is talking 24 hour walkouts.

24 hour for now. They are trying to provoke the City into locking them out. Once locked out they can't come back until a deal is reached and that might be awhile. Both sides are at the same place on money yet they are both going to ride it out over the new shuttle buses. It's 1 day for now. I can see it being longer than the last one.


BTW - the next proposed one day strike is the Stampede Parade Day, providing they don't get locked out before that.

According to calgarytransit.com they are hiring! ... maybe replacement workers

[MatsNaslund]

Way to show them union! Can't even file paper work on time. What are they going to do now? If I get on a train at 12:15 are they going to stop halfway between Heritage and Southland and make me get off?

I wouldn't be shocked if the driver abandoned the train at the next station. Happened on a train I was on in March when this whole work to rule thing happened. It was at Vic Park Stampede. It was rush hour and we had to wait 20 minutes for a Supervisor to come and take over.

[JiriHrdina]

Originally Posted by MatsNaslund

According to calgarytransit.com they are hiring! ... maybe replacement workers

Let's not twist things.

Calgary Transit has been hiring for months and have had a mass media campaign out there saying so.

It has nothing to do with the labor situation. They are short staffed like most employers.

[Torture]

i could get to work...but i'm not going to be able to get home, and i'm scheduled to work on friday....i'm just going to tell em that i can't work on friday and not come....guess i get 3 days off this week....

[Dion]

Originally Posted by MatsNaslund

24 hour for now. They are trying to provoke the City into locking them out. Once locked out they can't come back until a deal is reached and that might be awhile. Both sides are at the same place on money yet they are both going to ride it out over the new shuttle buses. It's 1 day for now. I can see it being longer than the last one.

The union was the first to raise the possibility of 24 hour walkouts. Then came the cities response of a possible lockout. So I don't see how you can say the union is provoking the city to lock them out. With the cost of living being as it is, transit employees couldn't afford to be on the strike for very long. Strike pay doesn't come close to paying the wages they would have recieved if they were working. It's advantageous for the union to do these 24 hour walkouts. They make their message and transit workers don't lose much in pay.

BTW - the next proposed one day strike is the Stampede Parade Day, providing they don't get locked out before that.

Nope. The stupid union nixed that idea.

[I-Hate-Hulse]

Given this: (from calgarytransit.com)

·The new shuttles can carry about 38 passengers (14 standees) - a carrying capacity of about 50% of regular buses.

·The union continues to suggest that the capacity of the new standard community shuttle is 60 passengers. Based on the interior dimensions of the purchased vehicles, there are 2.82 square metres of standee space. In the transit industry, it is generally understood that between 4 to 5 standing customers can be accommodated per square metre of space. Accordingly, the new shuttle will accommodate 12 to 14 standees. With 24 seats (or 20 seats plus 2 wheelchair positions), this bus can accommodate about 38 passengers seated and standing.


·If this shuttle could accommodate 60 passengers as the union is suggesting, there would be 24 seated passengers and 36 standees on the the vehicle. With 2.82 square metres of standing space, this would mean that 12.77 passengers would have to be crammed into each square metre of space. In any transit operating environment, it would be impossible to accommodate almost 13 passengers in a square metre of space.

and that this whole issue seems to revolve around this, couldn't the issue just be solved by:

- bringing in one of these new buses
- gather representatives from both sides, plus an independant group
- fill the damn bus, letting the independant group judge if it's too crammed. Or film it and let the public decide if it's too crammed.

Voila. One is is either proven right or wrong. Or at least it should be apparent if 1 side is blatently lying about the issue. A 22 person difference between positions is a lot.


Also, I've heard some wacky claims lately around town and just how much Bus drivers are paid. (the one about Bus Drivers in Vancouver driving Ferrari's was humouous). Here's what salaries would look like with the current offer from the City (I don't think the ATU's offer would be THAT much off)


Shuttle Bus (top rate) = $18.56 / hr. Annual wage = $36,377
Bus Driver (top rate) = $26.83 / hr. Annual wage = $52,500

(assuming 49 weeks @ 40 hrs a week)

I will admit, that's not a lot for someone to get by on in this city and I can see how it'd be tight to make ends meet in this city on the shuttle bus pay pay (and that's the top rate). Heck, I'm paying my co-op students from University $18.00/hr. However, they did get an education....

[LockedOut]

Originally Posted by I-Hate-Hulse

Shuttle Bus (top rate) = $18.56 / hr. Annual wage = $36,377Bus Driver (top rate) = $26.83 / hr. Annual wage = $52,500

(assuming 49 weeks @ 40 hrs a week)

I will admit, that's not a lot for someone to get by on in this city and I can see how it'd be tight to make ends meet in this city on the shuttle bus pay pay (and that's the top rate). Heck, I'm paying my co-op students from University $18.00/hr. However, they did get an education....

$52,500 seems like decent amount to live off of. But the gap between shuttle bus and regular bus is pretty huge and I can see why the union is pushing the issue. It's a huge difference in salary for doing pretty much the same thing.

[someguy51]

That newspaper Metro, said that they made progress on Monday...Maybe they'll actually get an agreement before they go on an extended strike?

[habernac]

Originally Posted by MatsNaslund

Laugh now but when it gets to be weeks and months it will effect even people who don't take Transit.

it didn't kill the city last time, it won't this time either. The main reason I commute by bike to work is because useless transit is unreliable.

And KG, I am still laughing that they didn't get their strike notice in on time. Absolutely classic. How do we spell incompetence? C-A-L-G-A-R-Y T-R-A-N-S-I-T