The union representing OC Transpo drivers has reached an agreement in principle with the City of Ottawa aiming to resolve several issues lingering between the two sides following a bitter strike in 2008-09, CTV Ottawa has learned.
"I think that the union and (OC Transpo general manager) Alain Mercier have been working very hard for the last six months; I had an hour and a half briefing with them last night," said Mayor Larry O'Brien in comments late Friday with CTV Ottawa.
"We want to wait until after the ratification with the union to announce the details. The city went through a lot, the businesses went through a lot, and I'm happy to predict this wasn't all for nothing."
Scheduling defined the strike
Driver scheduling was one of the most contentious issues of the two-month strike, with the city looking to implement a system that it said would save $4 million annually since drivers would not select the runs themselves based on seniority.
At the time, the Amalgamated Transit Union argued the scheduling system would force missed runs since it was less flexible.
Details of pact confidential
The details of Friday's new agreement are confidential, and will be presented to city council on Wednesday for ratification.
ATU members are scheduled to vote on the agreement on Thursday and Friday. In a statement released to CTV Ottawa, the ATU called the agreement "a fair and reasonable agreement for both parties."
Should the agreement be ratified, details would be made public and it would take effect in September.
City received the nod in arbitration
The scheduling issue went to arbitration after drivers went back to work in January 2009.
In October of that year, an arbitrator ruled that the city could take control of scheduling. The union protested, but the decision was upheld in a final ruling in January.
City auditor-general Alain Lalonde is working on auditing the new system to see how effective it is. That audit is scheduled to be completed in January 2011.
