Grand River Transit

[taylortbb]

This is why you shouldn't believe everything you hear

Buses will be back Saturday if the agreement is ratified according to CTV. https://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/mobile/buse...-1.4789214

[Momo26]

Haha good. I will inform the misinformed post haste.

Tired of this crap though - got a sick kid that has to accompany my SO to get me. Can't uber it twice a day. Not fair to him either. It's not just the riders that suffer

[ijmorlan]

This is why you shouldn't believe everything you hear

Buses will be back Saturday if the agreement is ratified according to CTV. https://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/mobile/buse...-1.4789214

Begone, thee and thy vile facts!

[Momo26]

I assume it's too early to know if the new contract has been voted in favor or rejected, again...by end of day?

[Bytor]

Keep in mind that there is no reason to believe there is any problem with these buses — they just haven’t been driven for a week. Do we even believe that buses never go a week without being driven in normal operations? There are a number of spares at any time; maybe they rotate them around so each bus is driven every day or two at least; or maybe they don’t. I would be suspicious of a claim that they never go undriven for more than a day.

If this issue really causes a noticeable delay in resuming service then management messed up.

We already know the GRT runs a very, very lean operation.

When a bus breaks down they don't pull one off the lot to fill the hole. Often they don't do anything, but when they do they instead pull a bus from another route.

That's why it took 30-45 minutes or more to get shuttle busses running when there were accidents involving the LRT. They wait until a bus gets to the end of a loop (like a direction switch for the 7, or the switch from 12 into the 8) and then send it to become a shuttle. Instead, they should send two supervisors each with a bus out as soon as they know about the accident who can then drive for half an hour until some on-call drivers can get in.

Their prioritisation is weird, too, because before the LRT entered service they would pull iXpress 200 busses out of their 10 minute headways to fill in a hole on a 30 minute route, and do that during peak. They'd essentially sacrifice a bus carrying 50 passengers to go pick up 5.

[trainspotter139]

Grand River Transit workers vote in favour of new tentative agreement

From the Article: 

Increased wages, improvements for discipline
On Thursday, the union said the new collective agreement addressed main concerns from workers including:

• Barriers to protect drivers for every bus in the system 
  
  
• "Improved" disciplinary language
  
  
• "Improved" language on how security cameras on buses can be used
  
  
• Wage increases in each year of the collective agreement and wage parity to local averages for skilled trades workers at comparable transit agencies
  
  
• "Improved" language on task completion for skilled trades
  
  
• Language "improvements" on the use of part time and casual employees
  
  
• Equalization of pay for part-time workers doing the same work as full-time workers.
  

The new agreement is retroactive to Jan. 1 of this year and will be in place for three years and four months.

[Momo26]

Ok...so...buses back in action tomorrow or Saturday?

Further, when it says retroactive, staff who were on strike get back pay for the past 11 days (incl. tomorrow assuming buses are not deployed)? Just curious - you always hear, "those striking are going without pay"...but I always wondered if they would get paid retroactively...

[robdrimmie]

Busses start again on Saturday. The Region has to approve it from their side, which will happen tomorrow.

[ijmorlan]

Ok...so...buses back in action tomorrow or Saturday?

Further, when it says retroactive, staff who were on strike get back pay for the past 11 days (incl. tomorrow assuming buses are not deployed)? Just curious - you always hear, "those striking are going without pay"...but I always wondered if they would get paid retroactively...

I would assume the “retroactive” means they get the pay increase for the work they did from January 1 to when the strike started, not just from when work starts after the strike.

Obviously, they should not be paid (by GRT) for the work that they would have done during the strike, but didn’t, because they were on strike. I believe they get strike pay from the union, although I get the impression that is usually much lower than normal pay.

What actually happens I don’t actually know.

[PhilippAchtel]

Retroactive pay means that a pay increase is applied as of a previous date and all hours worked up until the present are totaled at the new rate. A cheque is cut for the difference. It's not an uncommon clause.

Since this contract was ratified early in the year and half that time was a strike period, the amount won't be much.

[panamaniac]

Retroactive pay means that a pay increase is applied as of a previous date and all hours worked up until the present are totaled at the new rate. A cheque is cut for the difference. It's not an uncommon clause.

Since this contract was ratified early in the year and half that time was a strike period, the amount won't be much.

Yes, it's pretty standard when a new contract is negotiated after the previous one has expired.

[Momo26]

I knew in that breath it means retroactive to January 1. Was still curious as a standalone point if striking folks get their wages after the fact, for days they striked. Makes sense they don't though - it's the "sacrifice and risk they take exercising their labour right"

[Rainrider22]

Ok...so...buses back in action tomorrow or Saturday?

Further, when it says retroactive, staff who were on strike get back pay for the past 11 days (incl. tomorrow assuming buses are not deployed)? Just curious - you always hear, "those striking are going without pay"...but I always wondered if they would get paid retroactively...

Retro means that any hours worked since the retro date will be credited with the difference on the new wage.  They don't get paid for the hours they were on strike.

[Momo26]

Yep got it.

In other news, heard - again through grapevine ha - that the Regional Councillors are meeting today to discuss what action to take for the monthly pass holders, is this correct? What is the likelihood they provide JAN2020 monthly pass holders a full refund? Would there be any consideration beyond this? (Uber/Taxi reimbursement?)

[panamaniac]

Yep got it.

In other news, heard - again through grapevine ha - that the Regional Councillors are meeting today to discuss what action to take for the monthly pass holders, is this correct? What is the likelihood they provide JAN2020 monthly pass holders a full refund? Would there be any consideration beyond this? (Uber/Taxi reimbursement?)

I could see them offering a discount, but the idea of any refund for alternative transportation expenses would be a non-starter.