Transit workers in Vancouver, Victoria, get set to strike

The union representing members of the Coast Mountain Bus Company, which provides nearly all the transit, community buses and SeaBuses for TransLink, has issued a 72-hour strike notice, starting with a uniform ban for its members.

The Unifor chapter representing transit workers in Victoria has also stated they will join the uniform ban and issued a strike notice.

Members had rejected a second offer in collective bargaining and said job action will begin on Aug. 17, but bus service would not be disrupted.

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“Our members have now turned down this employer’s offer twice and the message has not changed,” Unifor National President Lana Payne said in a statement. “This dispute is about working conditions. Wages matter, but our members are telling Coast Mountain Bus Company that the day-to-day realities of the job must be fixed. That is what is standing in the way of a deal.”

All transit schedules remain in effect, with the only change being the employees being out of uniform, a move the union says is designed to make the dispute visible to the public and to the employer while keeping people moving without disrupting service.

“Riders should be clear about what this is and what it is not,” said Gavin McGarrigle, Unifor Western Regional Director. “Service is not shutting down. Our members are going to work, driving their routes and doing their jobs. This is a measured first step, and whether anything further is needed is entirely in the employer’s hands.”

In Victoria, negotiations have gone on for more than a year, and members initially voted to strike in May. It’s been similar with negotiations in Vancouver with the other two chapters.

Unifor Locals 111 and 2200 represent transit operators, SeaBus crews, community transit and maintenance workers at Coast Mountain Bus Company. Unifor represents 315,000 workers in many different areas of the economy.