Two days before a potential strike, Hamilton's local transit union hopes the city will budge on a key negotiating point at a special closed-door meeting Tuesday morning to avoid potential job action.
The Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 107 hopes city councillors will agree to any contract length other than four years, said president Eric Tuck.
'We're prepared to discuss any length other than four years.'- Eric Tuck, ATU Local 107 president
He doesn't know for sure what council will discuss, he said, and Tuesday's meeting is likely just for staff to provide an update. But agreeing to a shorter contract period would move negotiations forward, he said. So he hopes that happens when councillors meet at 11 a.m.
"We're prepared to discuss any length other than four years," he said.
With previous four-year contracts, municipal elections have gotten in the way of negotiations, and members have worked for months after contracts expired, Tuck said.
"My members are fed up" with it being a political tool, he said.
The union has made a one-year offer, he said. But the city is pushing for a four-year contract.
Hamilton's bus drivers voted 95 per cent in favour of a strike on March 29. They could walk off the job as soon as April 9.
A strike would cripple transit months before the 2015 Pan Am Games on July 10 to 26. It would also create particular problems for McMaster University and Mohawk College students as they head into exams.
The two sides met on Friday and Saturday, and with a conciliator on Monday, said city spokesperson Mike Kirkopoulos.
"We are willing to meet around the clock to reach an agreement," he said. "We still remain hopeful we can reach a fair deal and avoid a labour disruption."
Tuck said ATU officials will be at a nearby hotel at noon prepared to meet again after the special council meeting.
The strike would not affect the Disabled and Aged Regional Transportation System (D.A.R.T.S.) service, which are not part of the ATU.
City officials said months ago that they've been working on a contingency plan in case there's a transit strike during the Pan Am Games, when Hamilton hosts the soccer events.
The ATU represents 658 bus drivers and mechanics.
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