MVT and ATU agree to binding arbitration to resolve labour dispute
VANCOUVER
,
Dec. 31
/CNW/ - MVT Canadian Bus, the provider of HandyDART services in Metro
Vancouver
, today announced that following a mediation session with
Vince Ready
, MVT and ATU have agreed to binding arbitration which will end the labour dispute effective
January 4th, 2010
.
"In the interest of serving our passengers, MVT and the ATU have agreed to binding arbitration with
Vince Ready
," said
John Siragusa
, Vice
President Operations
. "Binding arbitration will enable us to resume service and provide high quality and reliable transportation to everyone who relies on HandyDart," added Siragusa.
MVT and the ATU have been in negotiations for the last year. An agreement had been reached by the parties but was voted down by the membership on
December 23, 2009
. In an effort to resolve the outstanding issues, both parties agreed to have
Vince Ready
mediate on
December 29, 2009
. After a full day of mediation on
December 30th
, MVT and the ATU agreed to binding arbitration.
Mr. Ready
will accept submissions from both parties during the week of
January 4, 2010
. HandyDART service will resume at that same time with full service and a final arbitration expected the week of
January 11, 2010
.
"We are happy that we will begin to serve our passengers by taking reservations on
January 4th
and expect to resume full service the week of January 11th," said Siragusa. "We know how hard this has been for our passengers and we regret the inconvenience it has caused," added Siragusa.
MVT's HandyDART service provides transportation to customers who are unable to use public transit without assistance, including many seniors, the seriously ill and persons with cognitive or physical disabilities. HandyDART is the only means of transportation for many of its customers.
For further information: Media Contact: Zdenka Buric, (604) 619-4344 or [email protected]
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