Striking workers continue to picket, cause bus delays and 'unnecessary chaos,' regional chair says

Kate Bueckert · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 28, 2025 9:30 AM EDT | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

People were near waiting astatine autobus stops astir Waterloo portion Friday greeting arsenic striking extracurricular determination workers picketed successful beforehand of Grand River Transit facilities successful Waterloo and Cambridge.

It was a determination determination Chair Karen Redman said was causing "unnecessary chaos," and comes arsenic the portion and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) section 1656 reached a tentative statement connected Thursday.

Grand River Transit posted connected X, formerly Twitter, that workers were picketing astatine the Cambridge operations centre arsenic good arsenic the attraction installation connected Northfield Drive.

"There are ongoing delays to autobus service. We are moving connected resuming scheduled work arsenic soon arsenic possible," Grand River Transit said successful the posts.

"We recognize that this concern is frustrating, but delight beryllium diligent with our operators, who are doing their champion to get work backmost connected schedule."

In a connection Friday morning, Redman said she was "deeply disappointed" to perceive astir the pickets.

"Despite a tentative agreement, their picketing caused unnecessary chaos — cancelling and delaying autobus trips that residents trust on. Workers were near stranded, students struggled to get to class, and immoderate whitethorn person adjacent missed captious aesculapian appointments," Redman wrote.

"This deliberate disruption undermines respectful negotiations. More than that, it shows a wide disregard for the residents who beryllium connected these services and the dedicated determination unit moving to supply them."

CBC News reached retired to CUPE for remark connected the Friday pickets but did not instantly perceive back.

CUPE local 1656 represents radical who enactment successful departments including the airport, autobus maintenance, landfill, roads and water. Workers walked disconnected the occupation connected March 3. 

In a merchandise connected Thursday, the portion outlined the connection to workers, which included:

• A wage summation of astir 12 per cent to each positions implicit a three-year period.
• A $1 per hr wage accommodation and 3.5 per cent summation successful the archetypal year.
• A committedness to bash a marketplace reappraisal for skilled trades classifications.
• A committedness to look astatine different "enhancements" banked overtime, repast allowance and stand-by rates.

CUPE members request to ballot connected the woody earlier it is ratified astatine a peculiar assembly meeting. 

Redman said she wanted national enactment to "reflect connected the existent interaction of their actions and see the harm they person caused to the community" by holding pickets Friday morning.