Transit Windsor drivers, staff could go on strike Monday morning

The union representing Transit Windsor employeeshas told the City of Windsor members will strike Monday morning if a tentative agreement is not reached.

Amalgamated Transit Union local 616, which represents 250 transit workers in Windsor, has set a strike deadline for 12:01, sources tell CBC News.

That does not mean that a strike will happen.

The ATUlast issued a strike notice to the city in 2020 but reached an agreement before any service interruptions.

The union andTransit Windsor have not responded to requests for comment.

Service operating beyond pre-pandemic ridership

The service has been weathering the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw ridership plummet.

Windsor is believed to be the only municipality in Canada to have halted service at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

Buses returned two months later on a reduced scheduleand went back in full service Sept.5, 2021, excluding the tunnel bus route that connects Windsor to Detroit.

That service returned a year later on a reduced schedulea year later once federal COVID-19 mandates that applied to international border crossingswere lifted.

Transit Windsor said that the service is experiencing "unprecedented ridership pressures" and "often running as high as 130 per cent of pre-pandemic levels."

"This has placed severe strain on the overall system, resulting in overloaded buses, missed passengers, and customer complaints on most routes," wrote Transit Windsor executive director Tyson Cragg in a report to council on Nov.29, 2023.

"While overall ridership has recovered largely due to increased student ridership, revenue trends have not yet recovered to pre-pandemic levels," wrote Cragg.

Federal sick leave mandate increases costs

The strike notice was issued at 10 a.m. as Windsor experienced its first major snowfalland days after the city's 2024 proposed budget was introduced by Windsor's mayor.

That budget includes$652,000 a year to pay for a new federal regulation that gives all employees 10 days of medical leave.

It also proposes a 10 per cent hike for most fares while making it free for people 12 and under to ride.

A new route is also being proposed that would connect bring people to the Twin Oaks and Rhodes Industrial areas, including the NextStar energy battery plant.

That would cost $313,670 a year to hire three bus drivers anda one-time payment of $1.3-million to to pay for a new bus.

It's not immediately clear how the strike would impact operations.

The contract expired last September.