News of a settlement between the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) and the City of Hamilton is good news for property taxpayers and transit riders.
The city and the ATU, which represents 600 transit workers, reached the four-year deal following marathon bargaining sessions last week. The deal calls for a wage freeze in the first year and 1.9 per cent increases in each of the next three years. The ATU’s last contract ended December 2010.
The deal provides peace and security for transit users over the length of the agreement. It also means users won’t be trying to find transit alternatives during the middle of winter. Following a similar four-year wage package that it offered to the Canadian Union of Public Employees, the contract shows the city is determined to reign in costs by controlling the wages and salaries of municipal employees.
Perhaps a zero-per-cent tax increase is not completely out of range?