First Student Canada will lock out 140 school bus drivers in Windsor, Ont., starting Monday, Sept. 15, at 12:01 a.m., affecting transportation for about 7,000 students daily, according to the company’s formal notice to Unifor.
The lockout will suspend benefits for drivers and disrupt service to the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board, Greater Essex County District School Board, and Conseil Scolaire Catholique Providence, according to the union.
Wage dispute triggers labour action
The outstanding issue between the company and union involves drivers’ wages, according to Unifor. Union members from Local 195 voted 98 per cent in favour of a strike mandate on Aug. 20.
“Our members will not accept an offer that underpays and undermines them,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “We will not be intimidated by this company’s bullying tactics.”
Negotiations break down
First Student walked away from negotiations last month after meeting with the union on Aug. 7 and 8, according to Unifor. On the final day of bargaining, the company told the bargaining committee it could go on strike if it didn’t accept the offer, the union said.
The company has repeatedly told union members it planned to lock them out on Sept. 15 unless both sides could reach a deal by that date, according to Unifor.
Union says it is ready to negotiate
“Our members care about the Windsor communities and don’t want to impact parents, teachers and students,” said Unifor Ontario Regional Director Samia Hashi.
“Unifor continues to be ready and available to reach a fair collective agreement, but let’s be clear – it was First Student who made threats of a lockout and not us,” Hashi said. “They seem to think it’s perfectly reasonable to put schools and communities in a hostage position.”
Unifor represents 20,000 members across the road transportation sector, with over 2,000 school bus drivers, according to the union. The union represents 320,000 workers in the private sector across Canada.
