Ottawa city council held a special meeting Thursday to discuss negotiations that could avert a transit strike in the capital as early as next week.
Ottawa Mayor Larry O'Brien disclosed little about the meeting, but did say council agrees the deal on the table is "fair and reasonable."
"Starting tomorrow, we will be providing to the citizens of Ottawa the alternative travel plans, contingency plans and all the things that the City of Ottawa will do if the [union] chooses -- and I stress if they choose -- to turn their backs on what we believe is a fair and reasonable offer in these very, very uncertain economic times," O'Brien told reporters at Ottawa City Hall Thursday morning.
That plan includes opening up bus lanes to taxis, changing some streets to one-ways and extending parking hours.
About 2,100 OC Transpo drivers, dispatchers and maintenance staff voted 98 per cent in favour of strike action on Wednesday.
"We're going to disrupt City Hall constellation. People are going to know that we're the ATU -- we are OC Transpo," said Andre Cornellier, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union.
"It's about working conditions. It's about dignity, and it's about respect."
The union is asking for a 10.5 per-cent pay raise over a three-year period, plus concessions on sick days, scheduling, and workplace safety insurance. The workers have been without a contract since April.
As the strike deadline looms, commuters are speaking out, offering mixed opinions about the contract dispute.
"I can understand their position -- they've been without a contract. I understand and they're only asking for a 3.5 per cent raise for three years," one transit user told CTV Ottawa.
"Quite frankly, I couldn't care less if they went out because they're overpaid as it is," said another.
Negotiations are scheduled for Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. If no deal is reached, drivers say they will walk off the job Dec. 10, a move that would bring public transit to a halt.
OC Transpo supervisors and special constables have also voted to strike on Dec. 23 if they don't reach a new deal.
With a report from CTV Ottawa's Catherine Lathem
