~ - ~ Volume 16 Number 1 tl)e C()rd Wee~ly Thursday, September 18, 1975 =~ 00 ~ ~ -W not reeling under Transit strike by Claudia Staines pieces." Instead of having an eight ,. ·• ·· .,.. · ·, r 1 / - · -~-- -_- __, __ '< If your hitching thumb has been hour day with breaks and noon time < lunch break, as the general city out of joint lately, blame it on City Hall, at least that's what the bus workers do, the drivers must put up drivers say. Kitchener City Hall with driving for three hours, being says that the stubborn attitude of off for two and then go back to driv­ ~ the bus drivers is to blame. Who­ ing, as well as grabbing lunch on the ever is at fault, Kitchener Transit go during a run on the 'route. 0 drivers and mechanics, members of Mazmanian also added that the the Canadian Brotherhood of Rail­ other workers have a Monday to u way and General Workers (CBRT), Friday work week and are paid Local 304, are entering the second time and a half for nights and week of strike until their demands weekends. "We work nights and ~ are met, however long that may be. weekends as a matter of course and At the present time the bus driv­ aren't being paid premium rates." ~ ers and mechanics for all city vehi­ But money isn't the only consid­ cles are earning $5.03 and $5.43 re­ eration in the dispute. There are spectively. Kitchener is offering apparently other things that Kitch­ ~ them an increase of seventy cents ener. Council is standing firm on an hour on a year's contract. Ac­ that are making negotiations dif­ ~ cording to Bill Mazmanian, re­ ficult. Among these things, the cently elected local president, this local is asking the city to provide is not enough. non-operating jobs in other city The members of the local are employment or alternatively give· asking for 60 cents an hour retroac­ leave of absence (without pay) to a \.\\\.~\.)\\~ ~ tive to the frrst of June (which is driver who has had his licence re­ when the old contract ran out), in­ voked for drunk driving. The City creasing to 44 more on November is apparently not amenable to this t~~, ! ~\-1 ~ first. This would bring the drivers demand, but has come up with a t-t to $6.07 and the mechanics to suggestion of it's own about vaca­ \\\'\ ~--1- $6.47, approximately a twenty-two tion time. per cent increase. As it stands now, the longer a "General city workers accepted driver has been working with 14 per cent increases in their Transit, the better are his chances The striking bus drivers are having litHe effect on transportation in Kitchener-Waterloo, but they ~ages, and the city says we're no of getting prime vacation time, continue in their fight with City Hall. The strike is expected to drag on at least another two weeks, ufferent.'' ex.p\ained Mazmanian. which runs from mid-June to mid­ and by that time the buses lying dormant in the background may well be needed by residents, But ourjob is different, and needs September. The city wants to put particularly the senior citizens. special consideration." He went on the local on a A-B-C rotation sys­ to say that the most important tem, giving them prime vacation to their advantage." more money and get it, they'll have accept increases of less than 15 per reason the drivers have for wanting periods only once every three When asked why he thought to give it to the other city workers cent in their contracts. "Local the large increase is the hours they years. "The bus drivers believe in Kitchener councillors were main­ too. But they have a co,ntract which councils can't make large settle­ must work. Not the number of seniority," Mazmanian claimed. taining their definite stance against says that any changes that are ments with uniOQs in their com­ hours but "the split shifts where "Even the junior men don't want the union demands, Mazmanian deemed necessary can be made by munities, and then ask the Federal one guy could work from six in the this rotation system, although at said he thought it was fear. "The mutual agreement. Mutual agree­ Government to fight growing infla­ morning to six at night in broken up frrst glance it would seem to work aldermen think that if we ask for ment means that the council has to tion." He feels that the strike will agree to re-negotiate; they don't end within the month. have to if they don't want to." Talking to Ross McKee, Deputy The bus drivers apparently feel Commissioner of Finances for that because of odd working hours, Waterloo offered little hope to the Savings or Sanitation the pressures of constant driving in residents of the city and of the uni­ by Fred Youngs the city traffic and the wish to re­ versity campuses. "We only buy a Centre for a year five years ago be­ pose and the "long range goal" is to m'ain at a par with other transit service from Kitchener," McKee In an attempt to redirect more cause of the poor maintenance and save money. The interest on the funds towards the mortgage on the drivers in other centres, they are explained. "Our contract doesn't unsanitary conditions. Nichols building's mortgage is now higher not asking for too much. Mazma· allow us any legal action for acts of Student Union Building, the claimed that the washrooms were than the principal and his aim is to Student's Administrative Council nian spoke of the first retiree that God or strikes, and we probably "dirty and unsanitary" that the reduce this with the money saved Kitchener Transit has ever known: will not become politically in­ has discontinued the use of the garbage removal was inadequate with the new maintenance scheme. university's maintenance staff and "no one has ever been able to take volved." and the general cleanliness of the The first priorities for the money the pressures ofthejobfor that long chosen an outside contractor for building was "deplorable." will be the building. Hansen sug­ In contacting various businesses cleaning services. before." He added, "We're not and institutions, people were able He intimated that he may move gested that the general uncleanli­ asking or expecting Toronto The use of Control Building Ser­ to close the building down if the ness of the building was more a to say that all necessary transporta­ Q) wages, but we do want to be able to tion needs were well taken care of, > vices, a Kitchener based firm, will situation does not soon improve, combinaHon of stud~;nts and Con­ - 0 represent a possible 30% cost re­ keep up with other union locals generally by forming car pools. II... ·- though he is confident that this ac­ trol rather than just Control. "Peo­ II... duction to SAC, money that will be whose members are in or very close Brice Runke, Manager of Fairview 0 ro tion will not be necessary. Nichol's ple have to be a little more con­ to the six dollar bracket." +-' redirected to reducing the out­ office is in the SUB. scious of the building," Hansen Mall said that a large number of the ~c: standing debt on the building. SAC SAC business manager Carl Ar­ said, "more aware of the fact that it The bus drivers and mechanics shoppers out there depended on the roo President Blair Hansen and Treas­ nold also spoke out against the new is their building and they are also are trying to fight City Hall, and it bus service, and while there had ;: - urer Tom Pippy negotiated the con­ maintenance crew. He cited the responsible for the cleanliness." looks like it's going to be a long been no obvious drop in business V) II... tlOQ) tract with Control and work started situation in the Turret last Friday Pippy feels that Control deserves fight with neither side too eager to yet, he expected that if the strike c: c: Friday, September 4, two days night when they had to cancel the 4 a little more time to adjust to the give up ground. Popular consensus was to last much longer there ·- Q) after the contract was finalized. has it that there will be a lot of would definitely be one. His senti­ ~..c: to 6 regular opening because the new system and that they will even­ There have been a number of pub had not been cleaned from the tually fulfill all the needs of the pedestrians on K·W streets for ments were echoed by talking to 0 u another two weeks yet. Searching various smaller mall store emp­ .t::! complaints about the quality of night before. building. 1.0 work from Control. The most around for serious repercussions to loyees around the Twin Cities. 0~ Both Business Manager for Control started with one person (Y) chronic complaint is the lack of WLU Cliff Bilyea and Legal Aid for the entire building, but have the Kitchener Transit Strike wasn't The most pressing problem toilet tissue, particularly in the Director David Ernst expressed now added a second and a third really easy. People seemed to be found, and one that hit closest to men's washrooms and the lack of fears for the licence if the poor qual­ person. This will raise the cost of managing, although no one admit­ home, was transportation for paper toweling. When the contract ity continues.