Talks have begun on a new contract for our transit bus drivers. The Amalgamated Transit Union and the company that operates the bus system have scheduled meetings through Friday. This is round one. Today, the two sides are exchanging packages, the first take on what a new deal might look like.
Amalgamated Transit Union Kelowna President Scott Lovell says wages obviously need to go up given the way the cost of living has risen, but they also have other concerns. Safety being a big one.
Asked how the union feels about the recent installation of surveillance cameras on the busses, Lovell said, "Cameras are an after the fact scenario, a record of behaviour for investigative purposes." He says, "If someone is going to hit a driver, they're going to hit a driver regardless of video." What we need he says are driver shields.
Lovell says driver shields were supposed to be installed at the same time as the cameras but they weren't. There's only one bus in the Kelowna area with a shield and that was the test bus.