GOOD NEWS NEW CITY COUNCIL
City of Edmonton reverses decision to privatize bus cleaning, saving more than 100 jobsAuthor of the article: Dustin Cook
Publishing date: Nov 18, 2021
Harjas Grewal with Bee-Clean sanitizes the high touch surfaces is a Calgary Transit Bus. The City of Edmonton announced Thursday that it will no longer pursue contracting out bus cleaning duties, which will save more than 100 city jobs.
PHOTO BY AZIN GHAFFARI /Azin Ghaffari/Postmedia
The City of Edmonton has reversed its contentious decision to contract out bus cleaning, which would have cost more than 100 employees their jobs.
In a joint statement Thursday sent to employees from city manager Andre Corbould and Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 569 president Steve Bradshaw, they announced the request for proposals (RFP) process has ended and the city decided not to move forward with a contract for Edmonton Transit Service bus cleaning and refuelling.
“This RFP has undoubtedly caused a lot of tension within the workplace and a lot of personal stress for those of you who may have been impacted,” the statement read. “We hope this news alleviates some of those tensions and concerns and that together, we can work toward rebuilding a culture where everyone feels secure and respected.”
The discussion around privatizing bus cleaning and refuelling initially surfaced during last December’s budget deliberations with council opting to “complete a review of cleaning processes in transit to identify efficiencies.” This decision came with an annual budget reduction of $1.2 million, but didn’t specifically say the work would be contracted out. The savings was part of the city’s strategy to achieve a 2021 property tax freeze.
An RFP was issued by the city in June, with the union pushing back through a campaign with the support of 1,500 members.
ATU Local 569 president Steve Bradshaw said he isn’t exactly sure where the city has found the $1.2 million in annual funding to keep the jobs in house, but noted the union proposed several options for savings within the city’s budget. Advocating over the past year to save the jobs of front-line workers who have been paramount during the COVID-19 pandemic, Bradshaw said he is thrilled with Thursday’s announcement.
“I’m elated, of course. We’ve been working on this all year long. It’s been a long haul,” he said in an interview with Postmedia. “I know that as part of the RFP process, the union submitted a document proposing a number of efficiencies that the city could act on that would save some money. We totalled that up to an amount that is quite a lot more than what they anticipated in savings for contracting out. It took acting on those efficiencies and it took pulling some budget from other places.”
At least 104 city employees were projected to be affected, Bradshaw said, including 61 permanent, full-time bus cleaners, 28 full-time, temporary cleaners brought on board during the pandemic as well as 15 employees responsible for bus refuelling.
Meanwhile, the city and union are still at odds over contract negotiations after the latest collective bargaining agreement expired at the end of 2020. A vote on the latest city offer failed with 93 per cent of union members against. Bradshaw said negotiations have stalled but the city is regrouping to bring another offer forward.
With several recent discussions around privatization, Bradshaw said the union will be looking for details around job protection in the new agreement.
More to come.
The City of Edmonton has reversed its contentious decision to contract out bus cleaning, which would have cost more than 100 employees their jobs.
In a joint statement Thursday sent to employees from city manager Andre Corbould and Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 569 president Steve Bradshaw, they announced the request for proposals (RFP) process has ended and the city decided not to move forward with a contract for Edmonton Transit Service bus cleaning and refuelling.
“This RFP has undoubtedly caused a lot of tension within the workplace and a lot of personal stress for those of you who may have been impacted,” the statement read. “We hope this news alleviates some of those tensions and concerns and that together, we can work toward rebuilding a culture where everyone feels secure and respected.”
The discussion around privatizing bus cleaning and refuelling initially surfaced during last December’s budget deliberations with council opting to “complete a review of cleaning processes in transit to identify efficiencies.” This decision came with an annual budget reduction of $1.2 million, but didn’t specifically say the work would be contracted out. The savings was part of the city’s strategy to achieve a 2021 property tax freeze.
An RFP was issued by the city in June, with the union pushing back through a campaign with the support of 1,500 members.
ATU Local 569 president Steve Bradshaw said he isn’t exactly sure where the city has found the $1.2 million in annual funding to keep the jobs in house, but noted the union proposed several options for savings within the city’s budget. Advocating over the past year to save the jobs of front-line workers who have been paramount during the COVID-19 pandemic, Bradshaw said he is thrilled with Thursday’s announcement.
“I’m elated, of course. We’ve been working on this all year long. It’s been a long haul,” he said in an interview with Postmedia. “I know that as part of the RFP process, the union submitted a document proposing a number of efficiencies that the city could act on that would save some money. We totalled that up to an amount that is quite a lot more than what they anticipated in savings for contracting out. It took acting on those efficiencies and it took pulling some budget from other places.”
At least 104 city employees were projected to be affected, Bradshaw said, including 61 permanent, full-time bus cleaners, 28 full-time, temporary cleaners brought on board during the pandemic as well as 15 employees responsible for bus refuelling.
Meanwhile, the city and union are still at odds over contract negotiations after the latest collective bargaining agreement expired at the end of 2020. A vote on the latest city offer failed with 93 per cent of union members against. Bradshaw said negotiations have stalled but the city is regrouping to bring another offer forward.
With several recent discussions around privatization, Bradshaw said the union will be looking for details around job protection in the new agreement.
More to come.
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