Poor hurt most by transit strikes
In a city where the lower class struggles to get by, it could get a lot worse this summer.
Ninety four per cent of the Saskatoon Transit Union rejected the city’s final offer and can now go on strike. Members weren’t impressed with the 10 per cent wage increase that also came with a reduction in pensions.
It seems to be the same story in every union negotiation in Saskatchewan’s recent history. The government is offering wages comparable to Regina and Winnipeg while the union wants the same wages bus drivers get in Edmonton and Calgary. It will eventually get worked out, but there is a legitimate risk of job action that has a lot of people worried.
For many in Saskatoon, the bus is the only available means of transportation. It’s essential to get them to work, buy groceries, and even get children to school.
Companies rely on transit. Saskatoon is a city that stays up late and gets up earlier than ever before. The trend in retail is to be open more hours and staff is needed to work those hours. With big-box stores spreading on the outskirts of town, the act of getting to and from the periphery is made that much more difficult without transit that can be relied upon.
Rent has doubled for most apartments during this recent boom. In many industries, wages have remained flat. The result is that people are paying a much bigger percentage of their pay for housing. Most budget guides recommend that number to be around 30 per cent of income: In Saskatoon many pay more than half their income for a roof.
A strike would mean these people must choose among taking a taxi to and from work — if they can get one — using vacation or sick days to wait the strike out, or walking an extended distance to work every day.
It’s even worse for those on social assistance. There is no quicker way to shrink an already inadequate food budget than by having to take a cab to and from a grocery store. A lengthy strike would be devastating.
Many would have to rely on local non-profits to fill a gap created by two stubborn parties.
Riding Saskatoon transit is already unpleasant. Saskatoon has fewer busses on the road then other cities, which means the wait between buses — even at peak times — is much longer. It also means crowded buses and riding on some that are so old that people come from all over Canada just to ride on our rolling museum pieces.
Buses are often so full drivers routinely drive past people at bus stops during peak times. This means some people find themselves missing more than one bus. I have also heard horror stories of bad behaviour by bus drivers on routes.
In spite of the overcrowding, poor customer service, lack of air conditioning, and unreliable service, city council keeps raising rates while complaining about the subsidy the city has to provide.
It may be unloved but thousands of people still depend on it every day — even if it lets them down. This is why a strike must be averted. The city and transit union have painted us all into a corner, with the city giving its final offer and the union overwhelmingly rejecting it.
The hope is that there is enough creativity and will in the negotiations to resolve itself there. The union must accept the fact that wages in Calgary and Edmonton are a reflection of their cost of living. Saskatchewan is the only Canadian province that does not invest in public transit (although they do help fund Access Transit).
To get Calgary wages, one should move to Calgary.
The City of Saskatoon needs to realize that the margins are so tight for some in Saskatoon that losing public transit for even a short while would be devastating economically and the ripple would be felt throughout the city.
If negotiations don’t resolve this, they need to accept binding arbitration and walk away from the strike talk. Maybe then they can start on rebuilding what is a much-needed service in Saskatoon.