Eight OC Transpo drivers tests positive for COVID-19 over eight days ottawa.ctvnews.ca - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from ottawa.ctvnews.ca Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The Capital Area Transportation Authority announced a series of unilateral changes Friday as contract negotiations with its employees union continue to stall.
The changes include the elimination of retiree health care for new employees, amended policies intended to curb overtime and 3% base pay raises for drivers and mechanics, CATA management announced in a news release.
CATA has been bargaining with the Local 1039 of the Amalgamated Transit Union over a new contract for more than 17 months.
Negotiations began in fall 2019
The last contract expired Nov. 30, 2019, but CATA has been using short-term bridge agreements since then that match the terms of the old contract. The latest bridge agreement expired Thursday.
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TTC workers need priority access to COVID-19 vaccinations, says Toronto’s transit union.
Carlos Santos, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU), Local 113, called on the province Monday to prioritize vaccine availability for its 12,000 members, many of whom often risk daily exposure to COVID-19.
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“Under the provincial government’s current plan, Ontario is not expected to vaccinate transit workers until mid-June while people living in hot-spot communities have already started receiving vaccinations,” Santos said.
Congressman Peter DeFazio facilitated a virtual roundtable with local leaders April 7 to discuss the impacts of COVID-19 on transportation and modernizing transit infrastructure in Eugene and surrounding areas.
“Transit was incredibly hard hit by the pandemic,” DeFazio said during the roundtable. “We actually had transit workers contract COVID and died.” He said in addition, transit services also saw huge revenue drops as people stayed home and stopped using transportation.
Transportation services around the country received funding from the American Rescue Plan, a COVID relief bill passed in March. While the bill provided funding for things like small businesses and individual stimulus checks, it also covers other aspects of transportation including roads, bridges, rail and wastewater, DeFazio said.
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