GO Transit bus service suspended for 2nd day as strike continues
CBC
A strike by GO Transit workers has shut down regional bus service across the Greater Golden Horseshoe for a second straight day.
Around 2,200 workers, including bus drivers and station attendants, walked off the job Monday.
The Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1587 and Metrolinx, which operates GO Transit, have both expressed willingness to return to the negotiating table.
The union says Metrolinx failed to table a deal Sunday that addressed key points around job protections, while Metrolinx says it did not have enough time to respond to new issues the union raised during last-minute weekend negotiations.
Metrolinx says it's operating all available GO Trains to help accommodate disrupted riders.
Negotiations started in April and the union has been working without a contract since June. The union said it's the first time GO Transit bus operators have gone on strike.
P.E.I.'s Public Schools Branch is looking for 50 substitute bus drivers, and it'll be recruiting at three job fairs on Saturday, June 8. The job fairs are located at the Atlantic Superstore in Montague, Royalty Crossing in Charlottetown, and the bus parking lot of Three Oaks Senior High in Summerside. All three run from 9 a.m. until noon. Dave Gillis, the director of transportation and risk management for the Public Schools Branch, said the number of substitute drivers they're hiring isn't unusual. "We are always looking for more. Our drivers tend to have an older demographic," he said.