The City of Ottawa and the
main union representing transit workers
have reached a tentative agreement on a contract, a city negotiator said Saturday.
City solicitor Stuart Huxley announced the tentative agreement in an email Saturday afternoon.
“At approximately 2:30 a.m. on Aug. 30, the bargaining teams for the city and the Amalgamated Transit Union, Local 279 (ATU 279) reached a tentative agreement for the renewal of the collective agreement for employees in the conventional transit bargaining unit,” Huxley noted.
ATU 279 represents about 2,300 bus operators, rail operators, mechanics, dispatchers, fare inspectors, and fleet and facilities maintenance staff.
The latest collective agreement expired at the end of March.
Huxley noted the two sides maintained negotiations, even though the transit union had requested conciliation assistance to push the talks forward.
“The two parties were able to reach this tentative agreement as the conciliation period expired, without the assistance of the federally appointed conciliator,” Huxley wrote.
Details of the tentative agreement will remain confidential until presented for ratification.
“It is anticipated that the tentative agreement will be submitted to ATU 279 membership for a vote in the coming weeks,” Huxley said.
Once ratified by ATU 279, the tentative deal will be presented to council for ratification, he said.
Staff anticipate providing an in-camera briefing on the tentative agreement in September.
