As you may have heard by now, the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 508, representing workers at Metro Transit will be in a strike position on Feb 2, 2012. Reps from the Labour Council, CLC and NSFL, met with the workers today to talk about strike support.
The Labour Council and ATU 508 are calling three public rallies to support our transit workers:
1. Sunday, January 29th, 5:00 pm, Grand Parade - Solidarity Rally
2. (Pending Strike) Thursday, February 2nd, 7:30 am, Dartmouth Bridge Terminal - Morning Solidarity Rally
3. (Pending Strike) Thursday, February 2nd, 5:00 pm, Grand Parade, Evening Solidarity Rally
Our brothers and sisters are facing major concessions at the table and need our support. We need to fightback. Please circulate this notice broadly and encourage your members to attend the solidarity rallies.
I will do my best to keep you up-to-date. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.
In Solidarity,
Kyle
Kyle Buott, President
Halifax-Dartmouth& District Labour Council
211-3700 Kempt Road
Halifax, Nova Scotia B3K 4X8
Office:
902-453-2074Email:
president@halifaxlabour.caWeb:
http://HalifaxLabour.ca
TO: The Dalhousie University Community
FROM: Tom Traves, President
DATE: January 27, 2012
RE: Possible Metro Transit Strike
As you've likely heard by now, a transit strike in Halifax may be imminent.
This past Sunday, the union that represents bus operators, ferry crews, fleet mechanics and other Metro Transit employees rejected HRM's most recent contract offer. They will be in a legal strike position as early as Thursday, February 2.
In the event of a transit work stoppage, bus and ferry service would cease in HRM.
The last transit strike in Halifax—in June 1998—lasted for a month, but was at a time when many of our students were away from campus, and before the introduction of the U-Pass program. A transit strike next week, in contrast, could make getting to and from Dalhousie very difficult.
Thousands of Dalhousie students and employees rely on public transportation. A transit strike could also prove difficult for those who drive, with increased car traffic clogging up major travel routes and aggravating an already-stressed parking situation on the peninsula. And in the event of a major winter storm, we would be looking at a very challenging situation to manage.
This week, leaders from across Dalhousie are assessing how various university functions would be affected by a strike: from classes and teaching, to parking and security, to service units and employees. Our goal is to be ready with as much information as possible about alternatives if a work stoppage is announced next week.
In particular, carpooling will be critical in a strike scenario. There are two major resources that the university has made available to share and find rides to campus:
-MyDal, which features a "rides" section in its classifieds.
- Ride matching through HRM's Smart Trip program. This allows Dalhousie employees to search postal codes to find other Dal people as well as ride-seekers from other Halifax organizations to travel with.
https://www.hrmsmarttrip.ca/Should a transit strike occur, we'll be encouraging drivers who have space available to offer rides to those affected. There will be many other ways to help as well - from being considerate towards students and colleagues if their ride to Dal falls through, to perhaps even offering a couch to someone you know who's stranded downtown if a snowstorm hits.
Some of the other ideas being considered include designating one or more of Dalhousie general parking lots as "carpool only" during the strike, considerations for students affected by the strike during midterms, and encouraging managers to consider different working shifts in their units to avoid peak traffic periods.
Though we remain hopeful that HRM and its employees can come to an agreement, in the event that they do not, the Dal community has proved time and time again that it pulls together when adversity knocks. I encourage us all to be ready to support our fellow students, faculty and staff if the need arises. We will continue to work on contingency plans and will share the details of these next week should a transit interruption occur.
Regards,
Tom Traves