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Waterloo Region and Grand River Transit reach tentative agreement Sunday

Workplace health and safety was among the main points of discussion in the negotiations

CBC News
April 2, 2017

Bus service in Waterloo region will continue Monday as the Unifor Local 4304, which represents 644 Grand River Transit workers, has reached a tentative agreement with the Region.

Unifor announced on Thursday that workers were going on strike as of 5:00 a.m. Monday, April 3 if a deal had not been reached, after the union rejected a tentative agreement with the Region last week.

However, after negotiations resumed over the weekend, an agreement was met between both parties, avoiding a possible strike and disruption to public transit.

“After intense negotiations this weekend, the union is pleased to have reached a mutual agreement with the employer to address Unifor’s main concerns, and will keep our drivers on the road serving the people of Kitchener-Waterloo and Cambridge,” Tim Mitchell, Unifor national representative, said in a statement Sunday.

Workplace health and safety, along with other workplace issues, were the main points of discussion in the negotiations, which started in December 2016.

According to the statement released by Unifor, ratification votes will be held Monday and a new strike deadline has been set for 5:00 a.m. Wednesday, April 5 in the event the union does not ratify the agreement.

Source: Waterloo Region and Grand River Transit reach tentative agreement Sunday