Press Releases

ATU Canada extends its solidarity and support with the over 1,100 dockworkers at the Port of Montreal who are scheduled to go on strike this morning. Their local union, CUPE Local 375, gave their 72-hour strike notice to their employer, the Maritime Employers Association (MEA) last week after the employer opted to lengthen their work shifts by almost two hours from five hours and twenty minutes to seven hours without negotiation or notice. In addition to this, dockworkers have been without an employment contract since 2018. On Sunday morning, the Minister of Labour, Filomena Tassi announced that the federal government would attempt to force dockworkers back to work through federal legislation saying that all options had been exhausted.

ATU Canada is holding a press conference this Thursday to announce escalated action amidst continued government silence over prioritization of transit workers for voluntary vaccinations and a growing number of outbreaks of COVID-19 at transit agencies. Since as early as last year, ATU Canada has been demanding that the Ontario provincial government and governments across the country prioritize transit workers but have been met with little to no response.

ATU Canada National President, John Di Nino expressed his disappointment and frustration with the most recent federal budget that he says missed an important and historic opportunity to save public transit agencies currently in crisis across the country. Ever since the beginning of the pandemic, transit agencies have faced huge losses in revenue due to a drop in ridership.

Today, it was announced by Barrie Transit that an outbreak had occurred among its drivers. According to media reports, there have been five confirmed cases out of a total of between ten and twelve cases, the other cases have not yet been confirmed. 

This afternoon, Premier Ford announced that the province of Ontario was set to go into another state of emergency, effective at midnight. This latest announcement once again falls short of protecting transit professionals and their families.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TORONTO - ATU National President, John Di Nino has called the Ford budget disappointing as it once again leaves transit workers and riders on the sidelines in terms of financial priorities.