Potential service disruption for Peterborough Transit

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Peterborough, ON – The City of Peterborough is advising Peterborough Transit customers to prepare contingency plans for a potential disruption to transit service as early as Saturday, November 18, 2023.

Labour negotiations have been ongoing between the City of Peterborough and Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 1320 since May 2023, including meetings with a provincially appointed Conciliation Officer.

The parties are in a legal strike or lockout position as of 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, November 18, 2023, though neither action is triggered automatically and neither side has indicated at this time that there will be a labour disruption.

The City is not intending to lockout employees, at this time, and ATU 1320 has indicated it will provide notice before a strike. The parties have scheduled two days of bargaining meetings this week.

The City encourages Peterborough Transit customers to be prepared for a potential labour disruption. Alerting residents to the possibility of a Peterborough Transit labour disruption is necessary as a service disruption would mean transit customers would need to find alternative arrangements for transportation.

“We are committed to achieving an agreement that is fair and reasonable for our employees and Peterborough residents,” Chief Administrative Officer Jasbir Raina said. “We remain hopeful that an agreement can be reached to avoid a work stoppage and its impact on Transit customers.”

City Council recently supported recommendations informed by the work of the Peterborough Transit Liaison Committee that would see the hiring of additional Transit staff and enhancing Transit service by increasing bus frequency on routes once the City’s 2024 budget is approved.

The City of Peterborough is committed to providing residents and Peterborough Transit customers with timely updates. Information will be shared at peterborough.ca/Transit and residents can subscribe to receive email updates directly to their inbox at peterborough.ca/Subscribe. Information will also be shared on the City’s social media accounts on X (formerly called Twitter) and Facebook at @CityPtbo.

Background

The City of Peterborough and Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1320 began bargaining in May 2023.

The City received a No Board Report from the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development on November 1, 2023. A No Board Report is a mechanism in labour relations. It is an official notice that starts a countdown toward a legal strike or lockout date.

Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1320 represents 103 full-time and about 20 part-time employees with the City of Peterborough.