The five-week-old transit strike in York Region is a burden to many individuals and families. Those hardest-hit, such as seniors, students and the under-employed, are also the least likely to have alternative means of getting around. As well, the striking workers are suffering greatly, as they have given up essentially 100% of their income by going on strike to get wages and benefits closer to other GTA transit workers.
The Green Party of Canada’s Newmarket-Aurora Candidate-of-Record and Social Services Critic, Vanessa Long, today expressed solidarity with the unionized workers and she “chastises the Region for outsourcing a service that is so vital to healthy, sustainable communities and social justice within our area.”
Ms Long continued: “As a family that uses public transit, we have been personally impacted by the strike. At least we have alternatives so it is only an inconvenience but I think it shows a complete lack of responsibility by the Region and YRT to allow it to go on this long. And saying that their hands are tied because of outsourcing is no longer acceptable. The workers are asking for binding arbitration, let’s move this process forward as quickly as possible.”
The Green Party of Canada, Newmarket-Aurora, calls on the Region and York Region Transit to pressure the bus companies to end this strike now by agreeing to binding arbitration.