Durham Region Transit workers vote for strike mandate

A Durham Region Transit bus is seen in this undated photo (Unifor).

Durham Region Transit (DRT) workers have voted 98 per cent in favour of strike action next month.

In a news release on Thursday, Unifor says members working at DRT voted on Wednesday for strike action if a deal cannot be reached with the region by midnight on June 6.

“The region has a responsibility to invest in public transit and in the workers who uphold it, especially as the community continues to grow,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne in the release.

Unifor Local 222 represents 616 transit workers—from operators to maintenance, dispatch, and specialized services.

The union says one of the key issues they’re negotiating is closing the gap on wages.

“Transit workers in surrounding ‘905-area code’ municipalities with similar populations and growth projections, such as in Mississauga and Brampton, earn as much as $5 more an hour than their counterparts in Durham Region for the same work,” Unifor says.

Last April, Durham Regional Council agreed to fully funding the 127 per cent growth Unifor said was needed for the transit system by 2032.

But the union says since negotiations began on March 31, “there has been little movement by the region to make good on its promise.”

“It’s time to close the wage gap,” said Unifor Local 222 President Jeff Gray in the release. “Our members deserve equal pay for equal work. Their skills and dedication to the job must be recognized in the next contract.”

If the two sides cannot negotiate a new contract, Unifor members will be in a legal strike position on June 7 at 12:01 a.m.