WINNIPEG (CBC) - Winnipeg Transit drivers have rejected the city's latest contract offer and are in an immediate strike position.

More than 60 per cent of the members of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1505, which represents the city's 1,000 bus drivers and 250 maintenance workers, voted in favour of striking.

The union is currently telling bus drivers to report for their regular shifts, but to refuse overtime starting on Friday.

Some drivers currently put in more than 21/2 hours worth of overtime every day due to a shortage of drivers and illness, union officials said.

Major contract issues include wages and working conditions.

City of Winnipeg transit director Dave Wardrop expressed disappointment in the move, saying in a release Wednesday that the city has done "everything possible to ensure this agreement is fair to staff, while remaining fiscally responsible and mindful of the needs of transit riders."

If the union withdraws services, Winnipeggers should be prepared to make alternate travel plans, including car pooling, walking or biking, Wardrop said.

Handi-Transit service is expected to continue as usual.

Winnipeg Transit moves more than 130,000 people each weekday, city officials said.

The last transit strike in Winnipeg was in the winter of 1976, and it dragged on for 11/2 months.

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