Bus driver Barry Barager sends the following email:
Here is a comparison of transit operator wages in the major Atlantic Canadian cities. Moncton is not included as their contract expired in 2010. At that time they were earning $21.50/hr.
2011:
HRM – $24.00
St Johns – $24.09
Saint John – $22.652012:
HRM – $24.48
St Johns – $24.93
Saint John – $23.752013:
HRM – $24.97
St Johns – $25.93
Saint John – $24.952014:
HRM – $25.46
St Johns – $26.58
Saint John – $26.15 (last year of contract)2015:
HRM – $25.97 (last year of contract)
St Johns – $27.24 (last year of contract)I did not consider signing bonuses or other perks (St Johns Nfld gets $450/year in lieu of 15 min breaks and free passes for their families, for example). As you can see Operators in the largest and most cosmopolitan city in Atlantic Canada are (or will be) the lowest paid. It might be a good idea to get that info out before all the nurses, firemen, policemen, welders etc start quitting their jobs and applying at transit.
My numbers come from the ATU Canada site, where all public ATU collective agreements are posted.
This article appears in Mar 15-21, 2012.
That’s what you get for throwing new drivers under the bus.
Licensed Practical Nurses with up to 4 years of service don’t even get $24.00/hour in NS. Just because we’re Atlantic Canada’s largest cosmopolitain city doesn’t mean we’re rolling in the dough. Considering the economic differences between provinces, I think this is proper remuneration for services rendered. Sorry bus-drivers. I wished you good luck on your last day of service before the strike, and I’ve been defending you at my workplace while you were on the picket, but as far as wages are concerned, I think this is fair.
Why are transit operators being compared to nurses, firemen, police etc? Those professions (like all professions) have their own set of factors that took them where they are today – the same as transit does. Why not compare us to astronauts or doctors or movie stars? The careers we choose are the result of the choices we made. If you are a nurse and you used to drive a bus (or vice versa) then I, for one, would enjoy reading a thoughtful contrast between the two professions. Maybe a better perspective would be gained by examining all public transportaion jobs – airline pilots, train engineers etc. I think it might be more relevant.
Starting salary in Winnipeg is about $17.50/hr.
Average salary in Bangor Maine is $20,000 year and New York City $35,000/yr.
How DARE bus drivers compare themselves with nurses, firemen, policemen, welders etc. These are educated Professionals who have taken the time to be trained for years in their respective professions, not high school dropouts who have taken an 8 week course on how to aim a bus in the right general direction. A more realistic wage would be in the $15 – $16 an hour range, on a temporary/casual basis with no benefits and conditions meeting the NS Labour Standards.
Ha ha ha. Barry. Too fucking much. You and Tim going for beers later? ha. astronauts.
http://www.courts.ns.ca/decisions_recent/d…
Good research there Barry. Just proves that cities in Eastern Canada all pay their bus drivers way too much. And of course the Codiac drivers in Moncton are doing their sabre-rattling and saying they want equity with their brother drivers elsewhere, which will lead to more of the same.
“The salary range for full-time librarians with master’s degrees in library and information studies is $62,844 to $70,998 per year ” In Toronto, where the CUPE members are thinking of a strike. Maybe they’ll go drive streetcars and really make MONEY.
http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/03/14/to…
Jollyjack is jealous…….
All this proves to me is that they are all overpaid. I fail to see how this article proves that bus drivers are lose on pay as this title says however. It looks to me like those numbers get bigger every year
Tim, a better way to point out drivers losing on pay is not to highlight the top pay over the life of the contract, rather to point out the new starting scale. New drivers starting after September 1st will earn 19.58/hr or about 42,000 pre-tax in the first year. This is unprecedented for the ATU here, which had always preached equal pay for equal work. If current members are not grandfathered to the old wages, a good portion 30-45% of drivers will be earning less money than they were before the strike. It is still good money and it probably won’t dissuade me from starting my career at MT, I would like to think I wanted the job for more than just the paycheck.
Tim
Your numbers are very comparable for the wages on a per hour basis. Have you factored in the very generous pension package that the HRM has. I believe another daily publication had a very detailed breakdown of how generous it is. It was in their letters section. Normally you are far more detailed when you want to be
I’m sorry but I still think bus drivers are grossly overpaid in this province…..I have 2 university degrees, working as a substitute teacher and i’m not making that much per hour and have NO benefits. I have no sympathy for them, especially in today’s economy where so many are struggling to find work.
Karma for delaying the access-a-bus and snowplows? People will never forgive the union for that shitty behaviour.
Gotta love this b.s for bus jockey’s holy cow driving a bus is much like sitting on a toilet shit happens, no special talent, no special training, all you need is two eyes, two ears, and a big fucking mouth and gut. Oh yes and a barrel to burn the garbage that piles up, when around pig garbage piles up fast.
looks like a lot of angry people on the East coast! If you all think driving a transit bus is so easy and lucrative, why aren’t you doing it? Truth is, the job is demanding and requires a specific skill set that not everyone possesses, whether you have a degree or not.