ATU Canada

Top News

SASKATOON-SK, April 23, 2024 – The Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) and the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour (SFL) are sounding the alarm bells once again as violence against transit workers escalates out of control. With assaults occurring almost daily, the silence from the City of Saskatoon transit administration is deafening. “Transit agencies just don’t care about frontline workers as it appears they believe that violence is an occupational hazard which is far from the truth,” says Darcy Pederson, President of ATU Local 615.
TORONTO-ON, April 23, 2024 – ATU Canada calls on Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath to do the right thing and vote against privatization of the proposed Hamilton LRT line. Hamilton City Council will be voting on April 24th to adopt a 10-year private public partnership agreement that will see transit operations and maintenance outsourced to a private contractor. HSR has operated the transit system for 150 years and ATU has maintained the transit system for 125 years.
ATU Canada applauds the Ontario New Democratic Party for calling out the provincial government and asking for $500 million dollars of financial aid to be moved from the surplus budget to general operating costs to support municipalities and public transit agencies across Ontario.

Since the Saskatchewan Transportation Company and Greyhound have shut down intercity transit service in Western Canada, access to mobility, freedom, community, family, health care, and other public services are at risk for millions of people across Canada.   Without adequate public transportation, the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls will only get worse.   Without rapid expansion of public transit, we cannot reduce our carbon emissions to mitigate the worst effects of climate change.   The private market has not and will not adequately replace these intercity transit services.    We need a public option.   We demand the establishment of a national public intercity transit service as part of a Green New Deal for social, economic and environmental justice and tangible reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.  Pledge your support today! 

New on the Blog!

We have been encouraged to see government announcements in support of transit -- notably the $14.9 billion pledged towards capital projects over eight years but a budget that is focused on an equtiable post-pandemic recovery must focus on providing emergency funding for public transit.
March 8th is International Women’s Day, a day to celebrate women’s achievements and take collective action for equality. The UN-recognized event was born of women organizing in the labour, socialist, and peace movements. ATU Canada recognizes the important strides made by ATU members to bring dignity to their working environment and fight for equality in their communities.
Canadian public transit is entering a new era of propulsion, transitioning from diesel-fueled buses to smooth-running, practically silent, low-emission battery electric buses (BEBs). Some transit history buffs will be quick to point out that many forms of transit, including the trolley buses of Toronto, were once fueled by electricity, so this is merely a return to simpler days. However, the scale of this transition is going to be truly unique in Canadian public transit history.