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The head of Saskatoon’s transit union says contract negotiations with the city “fell off the rails” this year after it became clear neither side was prepared to budge on pension demands.

“Our members are getting further frustrated, there’s no question,” Jim Yakubowski said.

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Yakubowski and city representatives will appear before the provincial labour relations board at the end of the month to present arguments about whether the city still owes the union money for the illegal 2014 lockout.

When the board reaches a decision, a transit strike or lockout notice could be legally issued for the first time in more than a year.

Yakubowski would not speak to whether a strike is a possibility at that point, but said an internal survey of union members concerning bargaining is being done.

In an emailed statement, the city said it intends to continue to meet with the union to reach an agreement.

Strike and lockout notices cannot be issued while matters are pending before the labour relations board — something the city learned at great cost when its four-week lockout was ruled illegal in October 2014 because the union had asked the board to look into a case of alleged unfair bus driver discipline five months earlier. The unfair discipline case was dealt with two weeks into the lockout and the city was ordered to pay $651,000 in damages to transit workers for the first two weeks they were locked out.