Ottawa Businesses, Residents Brace For Transport Strike

December 9, 2008 5:40 p.m. EST

Ottawa, Ontario (AHN) - The OC Transpo and the Ottawa City government is back to square one after the union which represents bus drivers walked out on Monday from salary increase negotiations. The move paves the way for another transport strike.

The union had previously voted to strike last week, but the two parties agreed to return to the negotiating table. However, the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 279 rejected the transit's offer of a 7 percent salary hike spread over 3 years.

Local 279 president Andre Cornellier said the offer was deemed by union members not good enough by its 2,300 members made up of drivers, dispatchers and maintenance workers. Because of the protracted wage increase discussions and deadlocks, the union had been without a contract since March 31.

The union could legally walk off their jobs Wednesday at 12:01 a.m. In anticipation of the industrial action, the city said Para-Transpo will continue to run its routes, while transitway and bus-only lanes along Highways 417 and 174 will be limited to emergency vehicles only. Lanes designated before as exclusive to city buses will be open to regular traffic, while some on-street parking restrictions will temporarily be lifted during the duration of the strike. OC Transpo Park & Ride lots will be converted in the meantime as carpooling hubs.