The first transit strike in Halifax since 1998 leftthousands of people in the city scrambling to find alternate methods of transportation asMetro Transit and its unionized workers refused to budge from their positions. More than 700 workers walked off the job just after 1:30 a.m. on Thursday,after union representatives rejected Metro Transit's latest proposal.

"We understand the importance of public transportation," said Ken Wilson, the president of Local 508 of the Amalgamated Transit Union. "It's blatantly obvious that the mayor and the 23 councillors do not understand the importance. If they did, they would have kept us at the table."

Scheduling key issue

Metro Transit said during its last meeting with the Amalgamated Transit Union,itpresented one offer thatincluded rosteringwhereshifts are scheduled in weekly blocksand a six per cent wage hike over three years. A second offer included no rostering and a wage hike of 3.5 per cent over three years.

Union representatives walked out of the meeting less than 10 minutes later. Wilson saidtransit workerswant to keep the flexibility they have now when it comes to scheduling. Currently, bus drivers can pick different shifts to make up a week, based on seniority. "Over 80 per cent of my people are divorced. The flexibility in picking our work is what keeps people sometimes together, it's what allows a single parent to be involved in a child's life," he told CBC News. "We've been picking our work cafeteria style for 104 years. Why all of a sudden, it's such a big issue?"

The transit service said it can save money by following a rostering system, the current scheduling system lead to shifts not being filled and millions of dollars in overtime being paid out.

"What we're asking the union to do and our opinion is that we let the union vote on which one they prefer," said Eddie Robar, the director of Metro Transit. "We are asking them to take both offers to their union and have them vote on which one they prefer."

Earlier Thursday, Kelly said he was disappointed it came to this. "It's unfair to the riders, it's unfair to the drivers, it's unfair to the taxpayers. This should not have taken place. There's options and opportunities that they could have brought forward and they can put things on the table too. They brought nothing to the table whatsoever," he said.

Wilson said Metro Transit "treats the public like trash." "Ifwe did this to the public, we'd be fired," he said. "The mayor, council, you're going to have one bad day."

Officials with Metro Transit say they expect ridership will drop four per cent because of the strike.

"You do lose ridership," spokesperson Lori Patterson. says. "People have to find other means to get around and they sometimes stay with that for a while... so it takes a while to get those people back."

After 41 days the strike was put to an arbitrator to impose a settlement.

Question:

-Use the total cost theory of strikes to analyze the work stoppage. (make sure to include the cost for each party and explain why work stoppage became the best option)