Hundreds of transit jobs in jeopardy, union warns
The union representing city transit workers says as many as 450 layoffs are expected, with COVID-19 sinking ridership across Calgary.
In a message to union members this week, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 583 said it has been told the city is looking to cut 17,000 service hours per week.
The city’s general manager of transportation told city council last week an “optimistic” scenario could see public transit lose $89 million in revenue this year. Union president Mike Mahar said Wednesday the city is hoping to save about half that with job cuts.
Transit ridership is down drastically across the city amid public health advice to stay home as much as possible. The city had already cut back the frequency of Ctrains and buses along routes in every part of Calgary.
City officials say overall losses across all services could top $235 million if the state of local emergency lasts until the end of 2020.
Some Ctrain station buildings are also closed around the clock as the city tries to tackle what it says is increased social disorder around some parts of the system.
A spokesperson for the city’s transportation department wouldn’t confirm the number of possible transit layoffs. A statement said the city wants to ensure “any directly impacted employees will hear about decisions that affect them first” before being discussed publicly.
Public transit is still running because it is considered an essential service, and people continue to use it to get to work or take essential trips outside their homes for such things as groceries and medical appointments.
Calgary Transit has about 3,600 employees, 3,100 of whom are union members. Mahar said there isn’t yet detailed information about how the layoffs will break down across different parts of the transit service.
Overall, the city had already temporarily laid off about 10 per cent of its workforce, most of whom would have been working at shuttered recreation centres and rinks.
Coun. Jeff Davison, who chairs the city’s transportation and transit committee, said the city is trying to be as proactive as possible as COVID -19 changes virtually everything about how the city functions — especially when it comes to transit.
“I can’t speak directly to what the employee side will look like, but people have to remember that while this is fluid and moving, this is a temporary decision,” he said.
Alberta’s relaunch plan could return many people to work and open a wider range of services as early as May 14, potentially driving transit ridership back up. A council committee heard earlier this week the transit system will have to be ready to accommodate those changes.
“As a city, we’re trying to do our best to figure out — obviously taking into account ridership and revenue — how to move people around the city,” Davison said. “We’re trying to optimize the fleet to accommodate that.”