It was an exciting week last week, as we took off the gloves and dispensed with the niceties. The Regional Transit Service Commission, (RTSC), finally got provincial approval. And they got it because ATU members stood up in droves to say “NOT GOOD ENOUGH”. They got it because we appealed to the citizens of St. Albert to tell their Council to abandon a bad deal.

Congratulations to you, all of you who signed the petition, watched the video or waited and watched for the Core Team to bring the petition to you. We are so proud! You should be so proud.

Because of you we are driving the agenda now on regionalization.

But we’re not finished. They promised us a seat at the table once they got their rubber stamp from the province. Now, we will have a say as to how this scheme unfolds. Now, we can bring our expertise, your expertise to the table. Now, we have an opportunity to protect our jobs and protect our collective bargaining rights. Because YOU stood up and said “NOT GOOD ENOUGH”.

Now, it’s time to move forward and seal the deal. We need a clearly worded contract guaranteeing our jobs and our bargaining rights. Nothing less will be good enough.

And then, we have to negotiate a fair and equitable new contract with the City. Stay tuned!

In solidarity,

Steve Bradshaw

President/Business Agent

ATU Local 569