Acadian Lines buses will be running again in New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, within two weeks. 92 per cent of the union members voted on Sunday, to accept Acadian Lines’ most recent offer.
Acadian Lines and the Amalgamated Transit Union signed a tentative agreement last week, after a five-month-long strike. They spent four days in negotiations.
Glen Carr, the union president, says the strike is over mainly because of the new vice president, Denis Gallant.
“He comes to the table with no personalities, no animosity. He comes with no baggage,” Carr said.
“I’m a firm believer that he was instrumental in putting this together.”
Gallant was hired last month for the Maritimes section of Acadian Lines. His focus is on increasing ridership, which has dwindled significantly. The company has lost $7 million, in the past eight years.
The 59 workers have not had a contract since 2010.
Carr says they now have to find out how many previous employees will return to work. He expects some maintenance workers could be back to work by Friday, getting the buses ready.
The buses have been in Quebec for the last five months.
“We need to move forward from here, and the union is prepared to stand side by side with this new VP of operations.”
More information will be available on the Acadian Lines website.
