Transit strike in Ontario region averted hours before deadline

The two sides nearly went to the 11th hour but Unifor members at Durham Region Transit and the Region of Durham reached a tentative agreement Friday, averting potential strike action.

Unifor Local 222 in Oshawa, representing 616 members, working as transit operators, maintenance workers, in dispatch and in specialized services, would have been in a legal strike position at midnight.

Members voted 98 per cent in support of taking strike action, if necessary, on May 21.

Details of the agreement will not be disclosed until a ratification meeting is held, which will take place in the coming days.

Key issues in the dispute include closing the wage gap with transit workers in surrounding GTA municipalities like Mississauga and Brampton – areas with similar growth projections – who earn up to $5 more per hour than Durham Region Transit employees for doing the same work.

“We are fighting tirelessly to close this unjust wage gap and secure a fair contract that recognizes the hard work, dedication and professionalism of DRT members,” said Unifor Local 222 President Jeff Gray.

Durham Region Transit serves more than 14 million riders annually across Oshawa, Pickering, Whitby, Ajax, Clarington, Ajax, Brock, Scugog and Uxbridge.

Unifor represents 21,000 members in the road transportation sector, including 7,600 transit operators and skilled trades staff working in urban transit.