STRIKE: Transit service back running on all routes but picketing workers still off the job

All bus routes were back up and running in Brampton on Tuesday after days of delays due to a city workers’ strike, but employees are still off the job calling for better working conditions and more pay.

Around 1,200 city workers including Brampton Transit technical staff went on strike last Thursday after negotiations with the city broke down. Picket lines outside transit facilities led to severe delays on bus routes as drivers and operators joined the job action in a show of solidarity with their co-workers.

But transit services were back to normal levels on Tuesday as members of CUPE Local 831 were again picketing in Brampton, but not at Brampton Transit facilities.

“Service is running on all routes,” Brampton Transit said in an update.

Partial transit service resumed on some routes over the weekend including 1A, 2, 4, 7A, 11A, 15A, 18 and 30. Service was running on all routes Monday as CUPE 831 did not picket Brampton Transit facilities on Remembrance Day.

But the union representing drivers, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1573, has warned of possible service disruptions related to the Taylor Swift concerts in Toronto.

“While ATU 1573 is doing everything in their power to minimize service interruptions, residents should allocate additional travel time to their commute or make alternative arrangements,” the union said of concert goers looking to take Brampton Transit to see Swift, who kicks off six nights in Toronto on Thursday.

Mayor Patrick Brown has urged the union to return to the bargaining table, but CUPE Local 831 says the city’s offers have been low.

The city offered CUPE 831 an identical deal accepted by its members in Mississauga just this summer which includes a 3 per cent raise, but the union is asking for pay increases of between 4.5 to 6 per cent over five years according to reports.

CUPE 831 says the Mississauga deal shouldn’t be the benchmark as that city has around 250 employees under the union compared to the approximately 1,200 in Brampton.

Residents and transit riders could be in store for more disruptions as the mayor has warned that the strike could drag on.