Re-elect RENEE DUNN for VP ATU 583

Re-elect RENEE DUNN for VP ATU 583 Re-elect Renée Dunn for Vice President, ATU Local 583. A 23-year shuttle driver, strong advocate, and proven leader.

Renée brings experience, integrity, and results- standing up for members and workplace safety every day.

12/08/2025

I just want to take a moment to say, Thank you! Thank you for your support, for your encouragement over the past few weeks. For believing in me and acknowledging the work I have been apart of the last 3 years. For knowing how important this election was to the entire membership. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to represent the members of ATU 583 for another 3 years.

In Solidarity
Your ATU 583 Vice President
Renee Dunn

12/05/2025

It’s Election Day!!! If you have not voted please come down to the office suite 103 208 57 Ave SW.

This is Anderson Garage this am where all our campaign posters have been taken down. They want to silent our voices. Thi...
12/02/2025

This is Anderson Garage this am where all our campaign posters have been taken down. They want to silent our voices. This is what they call democracy, this is what they call leadership this is how they are transparent. This is a form of intimidation, this is a form of harassment, this is bullying. They don’t represent the members they don’t know the first thing about it and have never done anything to prove otherwise. This has been a campaign like no other and I have said nothing but you won’t silence our voices, your made up lies and juvenile tactics will come to light.

12/02/2025

Please read this from our President Mike Mahar.

As we wind down in the final days of this campaign, there are some things to consider before casting your ballot.

I think there is a lot to be said for experience and a steady hand.

The current team has continuously delivered improvements in the last two rounds of negotiations making us the third highest paid fixed route ATU Transit Operator in Canada behind only Toronto and Brampton.
On December 29 we will become the highest, at least for a brief time.

We are the highest paid LRT Operator.

We are the second highest paid mechanic in ATU only behind West Vancouver and with the 3.25% increase December 29 our Electro Mechanics will be at the very top.

These accomplishments are noteworthy, but equally important is the value of knowing and understanding the Collective Agreement.

If imitation is the greatest form of flattery, then the current team should be proud.

Some candidates are proposing things like assault barriers and assault prevention committees. These are things Local 583 has already achieved and are setting the bar for other Locals in Canada to obtain.

This is just one sample of many platform statements that are already done or are being worked on as we speak.

Our payment in lieu of coffee breaks at 130 hours annually is worth $5476.90 next November. No other property comes close to touching that.

But it’s not just about what we’ve done. It’s about what others want to undo.

There is a candidate that wants to roll back the gains we just made for CS Operators. Gains we spent years building on. They want to reduce the Operators' benefits and guarantees. They state it’s so part timers aren’t forced into full time to keep basic coverage. But that is not how it works. And a candidate needs to know that before taking a position to eliminate it. This is an example of something that is critical to know, so you don’t harm the membership.

Equally concerning is the proposal to make the tool allowance and boot allowance a percentage of the wages.

The candidate's original proposed amount was actually a cut in benefits for the base wage of a Heavy Equipment Technician.

When that was pointed out, it was revised to a higher number.

The problem is, every licensed technician would now get a different tool allowance even though the tool requirement is the same. So, an Electro Mechanic would get more than a Truck and Transport Technician, a Truck and Transport, more than Automotive Tech. As unfair and divisive as that would be, the most harm would be that if someone took a month’s leave, they would lose 8.4 percent of their allowance. If they came on the job halfway through the year, they would lose half. If someone got sick, they could lose the entire thing.

The Union won a grievance 15 years ago against the company trying to pro rate the tool and boot allowance. We guaranteed forever a full tool allowance for every member entitled to the benefit.

This proposal literally wipes that out and gives the Company exactly what they wanted in the first place. That is why we need experience and a steady hand.

The boot allowance is even more inequitable. We have Tool Room Attendants that will get 61% and a Track Maintainer will get 68% of what a JII Electro Mechanic will get. Nothing is harder on a boot than the ballast a Track maintainer walks on all day.

There was also a promise that every dismissal would go to arbitration.

We probably have upwards of 50 or 60 terminations in a year. More if we count the ones that are terminated during training.

Most of the terminations are very short-term employees that might go awol rather than quit or have some other type of serious policy infractions.

There is a precedence in labour law for short term employees where the ability to terminate for serious incidents will often be upheld. These are often cases where the legal opinion is that we will not prevail.

If every one of these cases went to arbitration, at $25,000. a piece that would be 1.5 million dollars. That's 50% of the Locals' entire annual income. The Executive Board takes terminations very seriously and does a lot of research on each one, but sometimes you’re not going to win and that’s part of being accountable to the membership. Taking a bad grievance to arbitration can be harmful to the Union for many reasons, including setting precedent.

The experience and focus your incumbent team have, will take you a long way forward to finish all those things we’ve already planted the seeds for.

Please take this into consideration when you cast your ballot.

We appreciate all the positive feedback and support you’ve shared with us out on the floor during this campaign.

In Solidarity
Mike Mahar
President
ATU Local 583

11/29/2025

Morning gang! Just a reminder to mail those ballots, in order for them to reach the Accounting firm on time they need to be in the mail ASAP. Its your voice!

11/27/2025

Hello friends, well the ballots are starting to come into the accounting firm. The changes that were made to the bylaws, made preparations challenging thats for sure, with carving out who could vote for who and matching the right ballots to the right employee. With so many new members coming into the new areas it has been trying at times. The team was able to have everything in the mail by Thursday. Many members got theirs the next day, we are finding that those that have to go to a box are receiving them later than door to door. We recommend that as soon as you receive your ballots,fill them out and put them in the mail quickly.
As far as campaigning goes, I really
like the conversations with the members. I don’t care for the
Viciousness that comes with it. It’s deliberate cruelty. Not something I would want from my leaders. I am looking for experience, a unionist, an activist that knows how to fight for all workers rights. Someone you has experience in the union has had to defend our CBA, and members, a job steward, or a shop steward, someone who has volunteered for committees and has shown that they care about solidarity and respects our union. My leader has to show empathy and compassion, listens with an open mind, and an open heart, who isn’t a bully.  I want my leader to respect and represent all our members no matter the colour of their skin, what language they speak, who and where they worship, or who they love. Our leaders character and integrity is not only a direct reflection of how others see ATU 583 by it is also a reflection of me and I am a proud ATU 583 member.

11/23/2025

So it's been one week since this campaign began. I have experienced a spectrum of emotions. some I would like to share, 3 years ago the membership voted this team into office to be their voice, to represent them, to take their concerns and needs to the table and make a difference. It was the Captain ( our President)of this team to look at each of our strengths and what we struggled with and build one solid unit. He looked at what each of us brought to the table and started from there. One thing that was always made completely clear to me, was to consider how my actions and words would affect the membership and that rash decisions could be detrimental to our members future, to our membership careers. I have come to learn that it is so imperative that I keep learning and striving to be better. And that people are unpredictable and we all have different needs and different views on how things should be dealt with.I have also learned what makes me a good fit for this position, and that is to look at each file, each case, each person through a different lens. I know that I am not well versed in some matters ( something I work hard at conquering)and my perception and my understanding of somethings may differ so I will seek out information from sources that will have the best outcomes for our members. I understand that it is necessary for me to stay calm in confrontations to control, and listen, to allow people to express their feelings and frustration, Its not about me its all about the member! I am not the same candidate I was 3 years ago. This is not the same group of people you voted in 3 years ago. We have transpired into a strong team that works together and respects each other and draws on each other strengths. The fact that we don't always agree builds a different level of versatility. We are the experience team that is needed to go forward to fight the battles that lie ahead ( and there are many).I have always had and I continue to have one strong belief and my message is HOPE. Don't tell me it can't be done, we have proof it can. Don't tell me things will never change and that no ones cares, we have proven that it can and it is because people care. Hope drives me, its is my belief that a positive outcome is attainable, even when matters are uncertain or difficult. It's my mindset, my desire and my outlook that YES things can improve and our futures do hold something better. I am confident that better things lie ahead. This past week I saw first hand that hatred and divisiveness weakens our Union and communities. It destroys the unity of our common purpose, so that is hard to move forward collectively. It diminishes the collective voice of the membership. Your voice is lost and is replaced by ego driven power, destroying morale by dividing the membership. And often manipulating others. What I saw was disgusting and disturbing. Trying to physically fight a member, picking on volunteers for instances that hold no truth in the narrative, trying to cause harm to another candidate. If you can't run on your morals and your integrity, then you shouldn't be running. It just proves to people that you aren't reliable, that you aren't fair, and you aren't trustworthy, that you have the inability to build strong relationships and strong communities and teams. I ask you is that what you want? Is that who you want to be represented by?
You should all have your ballots, I am asking you for your support. I truly believe we are the best people to represent this Union!
Tonight we will be a Spring Gardens from 22:00 on wards
In Solidarity!

Last round of negotiations this team worked extremely hard on achieving as many proposals as possible, no we didn't con...
11/22/2025

Last round of negotiations this team worked extremely hard on achieving as many proposals as possible, no we didn't conquer all that was on your mandate, but wow did we make some ground for the next round. The team made strides in levelling the playing field for those that have been at the bottom for over 40 years, we moved the needle on coffee money for all driving positions. Strengthen language throughout the CBA. Boot allowance and a 4 day work week for maintenance. A solid working LRT proposal is in the works. As previously stated we didn't sign off on all of the 120ish proposals set before us by the membership but we made positive advancements towards that goal. We planted seeds regarding a wage adjustment for CTAG. Complete the work on LRT, tighten up and making our language stronger, in our new areas just to mention a few. Advocating for better working conditions will always be ongoing, I feel this experienced team is the best going forward with understanding and adapting to whatever management throws at us.

11/21/2025

All the ballots have now been mailed out, big shout out to the team who called every member and updated contact information, made work lists and labels, checked and rechecked information, made the ballots, labeled the envelopes stuffed the envelopes. Made sure the proper postage was on the 4300 envelopes. This year we had to make sure that each voting group had the correct ballots with the people they were allowed to vote for. This added more time, and more people and more attention to details, adding more stress as our timelines were so tight. Thank you to our admin team, our prep and stuff team, all under the supervisor of our two senior scrutineers. Overseeing the operation and making sure the whole process was followed to a T was our Returning Officer. Congrats Harry Lew you and your amazing team have completed the hardest step. Watch your mailboxes for your voting information!

11/20/2025

One of the duties of a Union is to fight for their members rights, in order to do that effectively unions have to have their finger on the political pulse. In one month the Alberta government has used the Notwithstanding clause 4 times. In October the government forced 51,000 striking teachers back to work. Overriding certain Charter Rights including the freedom of association and assembly. This affects all unions. over 450,000 union workers Now they are trampling over individual rights, the very rights that are so important in a democratic society. This election, members need to keep in mind what is at stake.... The right to join a union, the right to bargain collectively, and the right to strike. The governments use of the Notwithstanding clause takes away our strongest tool for advocating for fair wages , safe working conditions, making it easier to bypass negotiating in good faith. The next round of negotiations, will begin in the fall months (2026) and we need to be prepared for a tough round. I believe that an experienced team at the table is crucial and necessary for any gains to be had. I have been part of the past two negotiations, with the same core team, and I am proud to say that we didn't lose any rights like other teams had done in the past, instead we made significant gains. It's imperative to continue this momentum that we have built, so I am asking you for your support, VOTE Renee because we need to get this DUNN!

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Calgary, AB

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