Hamilton bus service resumes after city, union reach deal

A tentative deal has been reached between HSR workers and the City of Hamilton ending a week-long strike that brought all bus services to a halt.

The City announced the agreement on social media early Thursday morning and though details are not clear at this time, officials say the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 107 will be recommending the deal to their members.

Local 107 president Eric Tuck says the union’s goal is to have bus service resume as early as Friday.

The union says that maintenance and trades workers will be returning to work Thursday to prepare the fleet of buses.

Mayor Horwath announces tentative agreement with ATU Local 107:

“I’m thrilled to announce that the City of Hamilton has reached a tentative agreement with ATU Local 107 that they will be recommending to their members.”

Release >> https://t.co/AD7MfJUHMx

— City of Hamilton (@cityofhamilton) November 16, 2023

This comes just as the city prepares to welcome people from all over the country for the Grey Cup festival that will be running until game day on Sunday.

Over 800 transit workers hit the picket line last week after failing to reach an agreement over the core issue of wage increases.

“I’m thrilled to announce that the City of Hamilton has reached a tentative agreement with ATU Local 107 that they will be recommending to their members.”

WATCH MORE: Horwath addresses HSR strike with firm stance on wage increase

Mayor Andrea Horwath said in a statement on the deal, “”I know this disruption had very real impacts on people’s lives, and I look forward to the full restoration of service as soon as possible.”

#HSRAlert See you tomorrow, Hamilton! pic.twitter.com/eyfH991c5g

— Hamilton Street Railway (@hsr) November 16, 2023

HSR shared in a statement on social media Thursday morning that with the deal reached, buses will be resuming service as of Friday morning.

This was the first time in 25 years that Hamilton’s transit workers walked off the job as the union sought wage increases that keep up with the pace of inflation and the rising cost of living.