O-Train lines ‘consistently understaffed,’ union says after Lines 1 and 4 shutdown on Saturday

An O-Train vehicle travels along Line 1 in Ottawa on Thursday, April 9. Single-car service continues on the light-rail transit line. (Brad Quinn/CTV News Ottawa)

The union representing OC Transpo rail operators is raising concerns about staffing on the O-Train system following the shutdown of two lines on the Victoria Day long weekend, saying the system has been “consistently understaffed, often operating below 75 per cent capacity.”

OC Transpo temporarily suspended operations on O-Train Line 1 and Line 4 on Saturday due to temporary staffing shortages.

OC Transpo general manager Rick Leary said Line 1 was suspended at approximately 9 p.m. Saturday until the end of the night due to a “temporary shortage of controller staff that are required for safe operations.” Leary said Line 4 service was replaced with buses due to low customer volume and reduced staff availability.

O-Train Line 1 and Line 4 are operating normally on Monday.

In a media release, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 279 President Noah Vineberg said it was “not acceptable” to shut down two rail lines during the holiday weekend.

Vineberg said understaffing in the O-Train control room is due to several factors, including qualified operators being blocked from advancing into controller and supervisory positions and pay disputes for time on duty.

“The certified locomotive engineers and electric rail operators on these lines applied for and accepted higher-classification roles. The compensation that was supposed to reflect that classification has not been delivered,” Vineberg said.

“Work paddles spread driving hours thin across long on-duty spreads, which means operators accumulate time toward the federal weekly cap faster than they accumulate the pay, overtime, and days off that are tied to actual driving time. They reach the limit on further work before their earnings reflect what they have put in.

“That is not a scheduling quirk. It is how the work has been designed, and it directly suppresses ability to earn.”

Vineberg says certified rail operators and supervisors “earn no more than bus operators despite greater responsibility and stricter federal rules,” so they decide to return to driving a bus or leave the transit service.

“Then a Saturday night arrives where there are not enough controllers on shift to run Line 1,” Vineberg said.

“This union has also raised serious concerns about qualified operators being blocked from advancing into controller and supervisory positions. The controller shortage that forced last night’s Line 1 suspension is directly connected to that pattern. Qualified people who sought to move up have been denied. The pipeline is not being built.”

The union is calling on OC Transpo to pay rail operators “equitably for all time on duty,” resolve longstanding disputes over classifications, open advancement pathways for rail employees, and “staff these lines properly.”

“Experienced professionals have choices. If the compensation and conditions do not reflect the classification, those professionals will go elsewhere,” Vineberg said.

“Building the workforce this system needs requires understanding that and acting on it.”

“Chronic understaffing”

Mayoral candidate and Kitchissipi Coun. Jeff Leiper says the shutdown of the O-Train on Saturday night is “what chronic understaffing looks like in real life.”

“OC Transpo needs to fill the gaps, treat its workers right, and stop making riders pay the price for failures that start at the top,” Leiper said, adding he would work with the ATU to address understaffing.

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