A move to try to give transit drivers a temporary $4 wage hike was defeated last night.
Neebing Ward Councillor Cody Fraser says the city shouldn’t advocate for extending the provincial bonus to transit, instead of non-unionized workers like grocery store employees amidst COVID-19.
“I’m hesitant to single out transit workers specifically, even though I do sympathize with the current state of affairs on our transit specifically,” Fraser explains.
Some Councillors argue transit drivers are at less risk than healthcare workers because of less face-to-face contact with the public.
At-Large Councillor Mark Bentz points the province’s focus for what it calls “Pandemic Pay” has been limited to workers in healthcare settings, retirement and long-term care homes, and home and community care.
The motion originally also asked for the bonus to be extended to paramedics, but they were added to the list after the motion was drafted.
