Buses return to regular service in Brampton on Saturday as striking municipal workers agreed to loosen picket lines at transit facilities.

Some 1,200 workers represented by CUPE Local 831 have been on strike since Thursday and have established picket lines in front of transit buildings, preventing buses from exiting.

This has caused significant delays to public transportation in Brampton. Brampton Transit operators are not part of CUPE Local 831, but are represented by ATU Local 1573, which confirmed there was no bus service due to the lines picketing.

Friday evening, CUPE Local 831 president Fabio Gazzola said his union was “going to soften the strike lines.”

“So we heard feedback from residents and the intention was never to cause any disruption. All CUPE wants is a fair and equitable deal, and we can’t wait to get back to the bargaining table,” Gazzola said.

“That’s why I’m here in front of the transit supervisors to let the public know that we are going to relax strike lines and buses will be running tomorrow.”

The union’s decision comes hours after Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown told CP24 the city was considering legal action if bus service continued to be disrupted.

“What particularly irritates me is the fact that CUPE organized a picket and prevented our public transit operators from going to work. Our transit operators want to work,” Brown said.

“They waited in line for two days straight trying to show up for work, and they were stopped from doing so. Public transit is an essential service for our city, and this is an unfair labor practice.

The mayor said he respected the union’s right to strike, but that blocking buses was unfair to residents.

“The city will not accept this,” Brown said. “We will pursue all legal avenues available to us, including seeking an injunction to secure the return of this essential service. What we are seeing now is simply not a fair labor practice.

Union demands are “out of whack” (mayor)

On the picket lines, strikers held signs, including one that read: “Why is there always money for management but not for the workers?

Gazzola said the city’s latest offer did not match the pay increases received by non-union employees, which has been the main sticking point in contract negotiations.

He pointed out that the union was committed to a five-year deal and was behind on wages.

The mayor said the increase included in the city’s offer was fair, saying it matched what CUPE workers in Mississauga got this summer – a 3 per cent wage increase over four years.

“Currently, our local CUPE is calling for demands that are completely out of step with what we have seen accepted elsewhere. But these are essential workers who do not have the right to strike and who are subject to hazard pay inherent to their profession,” Brown said.

“We are a little frustrated to see such a significant disruption after the city has negotiated in good faith for nine months.”

Brown urged the union to return to the negotiating table in order to reach an agreement.

“Let’s sign the same agreement that was signed in Mississauga just a few months ago. And if CUPE Mississauga thought it was a good deal, then why can’t CUPE Brampton sign the same deal?

Meanwhile, the CUPE president said the workers’ demands were reasonable. Gazzola argued that workers in Brampton are in a different situation than those in Mississauga.

“It’s not quite an apples-to-apples comparison. The City of Mississauga has 250 unionized employees. The City of Brampton has 1,200. The classifications are much broader. The areas of work are vast compared to the three zones in Mississauga,” Gazzola told CP24 on Friday.

He also disputed that the union wanted a contract similar to that of the city’s emergency services.

“We’ve made a lot of comparisons internally to non-union staff, but that’s kind of the basis of some conversations. It wasn’t a direct comparison,” he said.

“Our law enforcement officers face dangers every day, just like other frontline workers. This is something the city seems to want to ignore or avoid.

Gazzola would not provide the specific number his union is seeking, saying he does not want to negotiate outside the bargaining table.

On Thursday, Brown warned that Brampton could experience a lengthy labor disruption. When asked Friday how far apart the two sides were, Gazzola did not answer directly, but said he was “optimistic” that an agreement could be reached.

Like the mayor, Gazzola wants to return to the negotiating table.

“I’ve had the same phone number for 15 years. They should call me, I’ll answer. All we want is to return to the negotiating table. We worked on weekends, all night. And we didn’t want one day of strike, much less two,” Gazzola said.

“We are determined and very optimistic to achieve the ultimate goal of securing a contract.”