Bus and other services return to normal as civic strike ends in Brampton

A tentative deal has been reached by the City of Brampton and striking workers.

Mayor Patrick Brown took to social media this evening (Nov. 12) to announce that an agreement has been reached.

“Great news Brampton, I’m pleased that an agreement has been signed with CUPE 831, pending ratification, including a return to work protocol, said Brown. “We’ve offered a fair, multi-year agreement, just like Mississauga’s, that truly recognizes the hard work and dedication of our City employees.”

The 1,200 workers have been off the job since last week which affected services offered by a number of departments including bylaw enforcement, animal control, road maintenance, the Rose Theatre and call centres.

Union members will start returning to work starting on Saturday, pending the deal’s approval a meeting later this week.

Transit workers were not on strike but bus service was disrupted as picket lines were set up at terminals that some unionized transit drivers refused to cross. Because of the agreement, pickets will come down from all Brampton work facilities.

Terms of the agreement have not been announced. CUPE said a membership vote on the new contract is scheduled for later this week. The timeframe for when workers will report back to their jobs has not yet been released.

Wages were at the forefront of the labour dispute with the workers seeking increases of between 4.5 to 6 per cent over five years according to reports while Brampton was offering 3 per cent.

“From the beginning, we have said that this strike was about fairness for our members and reaching a deal that is comparable to what others who work at the City of Brampton have received and we have been able to reach an agreement that achieves that,” said CUPE 831 President Fabio Gazzola in a statement.

“This agreement will help our members deal with the increased cost of living they’re facing and recognizes the work that they do.”

Gazzola said the strike was a “last resort” and thanked Brampton residents “for their patience and support during the strike.”

“Our members look forward to returning to work soon to continue serving Brampton residents,” Gazzola said.