HALIFAX - Thousands of people who use buses and ferries in Halifax had to find other ways of getting around on Thursday after transit workers hit the picket lines following failed talks with the city.
Ken Wilson of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 508 said the city's bargaining team called union negotiators back to the table around midnight with an offer.
But Wilson said municipal officials weren't interested in bargaining on about 70 outstanding issues.
"We went there looking for dialogue and there was absolutely no dialogue," Wilson said early Thursday, adding that he sympathizes with commuters left on the hook.
"We understand the importance of public transportation. It's blatantly obvious that the mayor and the 23 councillors do not understand the importance. If they did, they would have kept us at the table."
A statement from the city said its bargaining team called union officials back to the table at about 11:30 p.m. Wednesday with two offers dealing with shift scheduling and a wage increase for the 750 Metro Transit employees.
One included a six per cent wage hike over three years and a scheduling system known as rostering that assigns weekly blocks rather than allowing bus operators to pick individual shifts based on seniority.
The other proposal offered a 3.5 per cent increase over three years and the union's preferred scheduling system.
Mayor Peter Kelly said he's disappointed the union didn't take the offers to its members for a vote and launched a strike that will affect 96,000 people who use the transit system.
"HRM's bargaining team tried hard to get a deal that would avoid a work stoppage and it is disappointing that the union bargaining team chose not to take it to the membership for a vote," he said in the release.
Metro Transit's director, Eddie Robar, said the transit service made "considerable movement" on issues the union set out as priorities but it still decided to go ahead with a strike.
