Coventry Connections, taxi union reps agree to return to the table

Coventry Connections and the union representing Airport Taxi drivers have agreed to return to negotiations in the hopes of ending a dispute that has been raging for more than two weeks, Mayor Jim Watson said Wednesday.

The announcement came after Watson met with taxi union representatives and spoke by phone with Coventry Connections president Hanif Patni.

“I encouraged both sides to get back to the table as quickly as possible,” said Watson. “My hope is that they would do that some time this week, next week at the very latest. I’m very pleased that both the union and the employer understand that the only way this is going to be resolved is if they sit down and start a dialogue.”

Taxi union representatives at the meeting included Amrik Singh, president of Unifor Local 1688, Abed Madi, chairman of the airport taxi union, and Bob Orr, assistant to the national president of Unifor.

Delegates from the city included Watson and Coun. Diane Deans.

Singh said Watson was sympathetic to the concerns raised, and that the union was ready to meet with Patni. “He can call us and we’re ready to meet on five-minute notice,” said Singh.

But neither side seems willing to compromise much.

“In the last five meetings that we’ve had, that’s what we’ve seen,” said Patni. “We’ve been very clear with our position, our proposal, and they have not been able to respond. We’re hoping, now that they’ve had a discussion with the mayor and with us ... that they recognize that they need to have a credible response.” Orr said the same of Patni. “Coventry Connections sent us a letter yesterday saying that they would only return to the bargaining table if we’re ready to agree to what they’ve asked for, and that’s not acceptable,” said Orr. “We’re not doing that.”

Among concessions they’ve been asked for, Orr said, was that the $4.50 flat rate per ride drivers must pay to pick up passengers at Ottawa International Airport be passed on to the customer. A July 22 letter from Coventry obtained by the Citizen and addressed to all airport taxi drivers mentions the request. “Once the City of Ottawa amends its bylaws, that fee may be paid directly by customers,” the letter reads.

But according to Patni, that is no longer an issue.

“We talked about it early in our meetings. In one of our communiqués, we might have mentioned that,” he said. “But I can tell you that is off the table. We don’t want to. Neither party wants to add any charge to the customer right now.”

A March 24 letter from the Airport Authority to Patni and Coventry echoes the initial thought of passing the fee along.

“We also understand that the licence fees to be paid to the Authority by Coventry Connections will form part of the cost that is passed on to the customer for the cab ride,” it reads. “This will likely result in a fixed fee being added to the metered fee by taxi drivers.”

Coun. Deans, head of the community and protective services committee in charge of reviewing taxi bylaws, said the city will not endorse any fare increases relating to this fee. Watson said that the city has made its refusal to increase the fare known to Coventry and that this was reiterated to Patni.

Orr said much of the union’s frustration stems from this seeming disconnect between the parties.

“The frustration on our part is, if you want an increase in rates, you go to the City of Ottawa and you get a bylaw change,” he said. “They’re just blatantly ignoring that, and the public is not aware that they’re trying to pass these fees on directly to them.”