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USC, admin planning for LTC strike 24 hours notice required before full service halt

Western and the University Students’ Council are in the middle of creating a transport plan for students in the event of a strike.

“We are working closely with administration,” Dan Moulton, USC vice-president university affairs, said.

The USC and administration will continue to meet throughout the week.

This plan may be necessary, as a stalemate seems to have been reached between the London Transit Commission and the Amalgamated Transit Union.

The Union and the LTC do not have any meetings planned between now and the Nov. 16 strike deadline.

“That doesn’t mean [a meeting] is not possible — just one hasn’t been scheduled,” Larry Ducharme, general manager of the LTC, said.  He added the strike date added extra pressure to negotiations.

“We’re quite willing to talk to anyone at any time,” John Gillet, vice-president of ATU Local 741, said. “We’d rather be sitting down and working out our differences with London Transit.”

Ducharme commented the LTC saw a 15 per cent decrease in service and on many routes through campus. “[This is] extremely coincidental,” Ducharme added.

“It depends on the number of people who show up and how we can realign these services.” Ducharme explained.

According to Gillet, the decision to select which routes are serviced is decided by LTC. “A lot of service that goes into Western has to be taken by voluntary overtime,” he said.

Gillet admitted the possibility of striking earlier than the Nov. 16 deadline may become a regrettable, but a necessary move.

“What it comes to is the safety of our operators. They have been receiving physical and verbal abuse,” Gillet said. He pointed out, however, students were not the primary aggressors in this situation.

“Once they withdraw services, services are fully withdrawn,” Ducharme said. “There isn’t anything we can do.”

According to Moulton, the Union must give a 24-hour notice to the USC before they go on strike. He added students will be notified if such a situation occurs.

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