Drivers of Edmonton transit for disabled users are joining conventional operators in their union local.
The city's Dedicated Access Transit Service drivers voted to dissolve their separate bargaining unit and join the main body of Edmonton Transit Service workers, according to a media release Tuesday evening from the Amalgamated Transit Union.
DATS workers will now receive the same wages and working conditions as their mainstream counterparts.
“After more than a quarter century-long struggle to achieve equity on the job, it’s the beginning of a new era of recognition of the value of our hero workers who do the important work of transporting people with disabilities in our community,” ATU Local 569 President Steve Bradshaw said in a statement.
DATS workers ratified a contract that will end on Dec. 30. Negotiations on a new one will begin next year.
