in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, M ar ch 10 ,2 02 2 | 4 Oakville Transit buses are back on the road. Striking transit drivers and maintenance workers voted last Thursday (Mar. 3) to ratify a deal offered by the Town of Oakville. The Town of Oakville ratified the deal later that day. The deal will provide two per cent wage increas- es each year for three years and will also make it easier for casual drivers to move to full-time positions, said Alice Kelly, president of Unifor Local 1256, which represents the workers. The local was also re- portedly successful in con- verting 27 positions to full- time status and increasing benefits coverage and ex- panding mental health cov- erage. "I'm feeling wonderful, not so much for me, but for all those members over at Oakville Transit who worked through this pan- demic tirelessly and got the public where they needed to be," said Kelly. "I feel even better for the public ... It's just going to be a huge weigh off of every- body." In total, 81 per cent of the local members voted to rat- ify the settlement. In a press release issued shortly after the ratifica- tion, the Town said that in recognition of the inconve- nience caused by the tran- sit strike the Town will be offering free transit service on all conventional, Home to Hub and specialized bus- es from March 4 to 31. In addition, customers who purchased a monthly paper pass for February and/or March will be pro- vided with an equivalent free monthly pass for use in April or May. Customers can come to the transit office on Wye- croft Road starting March 4 with proof of purchase to obtain the free monthly passes. Town staff said custom- ers who purchased month- ly passes through the PRESTO system will be re- imbursed the value of the monthly pass back to their PRESTO account. This credit may take four to six weeks to be pro- cessed by PRESTO. "We realize the strike has been disruptive and in- convenient to those who de- pend on Oakville Transit to get to work, school, and es- sential appointments," said Phoebe Fu, the town's com- missioner of community infrastructure. "We're pleased that a set- tlement has been reached and we're able to get transit services back on the road. We are looking forward to welcoming our customers back, and hope others who haven't tried Oakville Transit before will consid- er today's news a great op- portunity to give it a try." The 179 Oakville Transit workers had been on strike since Thursday, Feb. 17, re- sulting in the suspension of regular bus service. Union members were seeking wage increases that reflect inflation, addi- tional sick days and better language for casual work- ers. OAKVILLE TRANSIT STRIKE OVER AFTER DEAL RATIFIED DAVID LEA dlea@metroland.com NEWS Oakville Transit drivers and maintenance workers - members of Unifor local 1256 picket out front the Oakville Transit facility. Graham Paine/Metroland Daylight Saving Time is nearly here, folks. Residents are reminded to set their clocks forward an hour before they go to sleep Saturday, March 12. The official time change begins at 2 a.m. Sunday, March 13. Homeowners are en- couraged to use the time change as an opportunity to check -- and if necessary replace -- the batteries in their smoke alarms. TIME TO SPRING AHEAD PLEASE RECYCLE THIS PAPER