Ottawa Bus Strike standoff ends after 51 days

by Mohammed Adam, CanWest News

Seven weeks into a bus strike that at times, caused winter-road chaos in the nation's capital, the City of Ottawa and workers with its striking transit union reached an agreement Thursday afternoon to send all the outstanding issues in the 51-day-old OC Transpo strike to binding arbitration.

The strike by 2,300 drivers, mechanics and dispatchers of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 279 is over immediately.

At a news conference in Ottawa Mayor Larry O'Brien's office, O'Brien and union officials Andre Cornellier and Randy Graham came together to announce that with federal back-to-work legislation seeming inevitable, they decided it was in the interests of Ottawa residents to come to an agreement to get the buses rolling again.

"It has been a difficult and acrimonious dispute to be involved in," said federal Labour Minister Rona Ambrose, who on Wednesday signalled she would introduce back-to-work legislation in the House of Commons.

"Once pressure was applied . . . the parties came together," she said. "I think this is a very positive outcome for the City of Ottawa."

Asked why Ottawa residents had to go through 51 days of suffering before this, representatives from both sides of the dispute said an agreement simply couldn't be reached without the threat of legislation.

Read more? Editorial reference, LINK

Go to The Canadian TV, linked to Janine's Pledge Video

SOCIALIZE: Stop the North American Union (NAU) agenda. Become a Member.

Subscribe to RSS feeds

Become a Member:

Would you like to see other similar articles and critical commentaries in The Canadian National Newspaper? Then, show your support. Make a member-pledge donation, in support of the Membership Drive of the Pro-Democracy Media Foundation.

The Canadian can only continue to publish investigative articles in such areas, with the donations from members of the public in Canada, the U.S., and abroad. Consider making a donation of $50.00, $75.00, $100.00, $200.00 or more. Donors are eligible to receive our first collector's print edition in mail. Alternatively, you can send us a note to be placed on our special email list of members. Member-donors can also suggest articles or commentaries to be published in The Canadian.

The Canadian is a socially progressive and not-for-profit national newspaper, with an international readership. We provide an alternative to the for-profit commercial focused media, which often censors vital information and perspective of potential interest to the diverse Canadian public, and other peoples internationally.

Become a member of The Canadian, with your donation-pledge. Help support independent, progressive, and not-for-profit journalism.