City seeks formal no-board notice in negotiations with transit union

Hamilton, ON - The City of Hamilton will seek a formal no-board notice from the Minister of Labour in negotiations with the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU).

Once received, a no-board notice from Ontario's Minister of Labour indicates that no board of conciliation would be appointed in the negotiations between the City and ATU. If issued, the notice would trigger a 17-day notice, at which point ATU would be in a strike position and the City in a position to issue a lock-out notice, though neither action is immediately triggered.

The City and ATU Local 107 have been negotiating since February 2023 and have had 23 separate negotiating dates. On September 20, the two sides met with the assistance of a conciliator appointed by the Minister of Labour to assist both sides in achieving a negotiated settlement.

The City has filed for a no-board due to the goals of hastening the process and expediting an agreement. The City remains committed to a negotiated settlement.

We want to emphasize that the City remains committed to freely negotiating the renewal of a collective agreement and remains hopeful that the parties will reach a mutually agreeable collective agreement that is fair to employees and taxpayers. However, the City has moved to file the no-board report to expedite an agreement.

Earlier this month, the City reached an agreement with CUPE 5167 after a no-board report was issued. A four-year agreement was reached before the 17-day deadline, which included a 3.75 per cent salary increase in year one and a 3 per cent increase in years two, three and four.