The 180 members represented by CUPE 4500 will walk off work and set up a picket line at the bus station for 48 hours starting at 3am on Monday, effectively halting bus and SeaBus service. The expansion of the strike action comes after members had already imposed a ban on overtime work on January 6 in response to failed mediation efforts earlier in the year.
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All bus and SeaBus service could be suspended in Metro Vancouver on Monday as transit regulators prepare for a two-day all-out strike.
CUPE 4500 announced plans on Thursday to expand its existing hiring efforts after the TransLink-owned Coast Mountain Bus Company failed to respond to the union’s latest proposal.
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Union spokesman Liam O’Neill said they had been waiting for a response to the latest proposals for more than four weeks.
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“Our patience is running out for Coast Mountain to take negotiations and our issues seriously,” O’Neill said at a news conference in Burnaby on Thursday. “Our members are entitled to a fair deal.”
The 180 members representing CUPE 4500 will walk off work and set up a picket line at the company’s bus depot for 48 hours starting at 3 a.m. Monday.
Unifor Locals 111 and 2200, which represent transit drivers and support workers, had previously expressed support for this employment effort and the intention of their members not to cross picket lines, so this action would be effective against bus and SeaBus services. will effectively cease.
Unions are seeking solutions to pay disparities and workload issues.
Coast Mountain said it has presented CUPE 4500 with the same wage proposal that other CMBC unions have agreed to. The union argued that the union’s demand for a 25% pay increase over three years for transportation supervisors, who make up about one-third of the union, was “unreasonable.”
“We call on the union to immediately cease hiring activities and return to the bargaining table with realistic expectations,” Coast Mountain President Michael McDaniel said in a statement.
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The union is seeking a 25 percent pay increase for traffic wardens, which would take them to $115,477 a year in three years, up from their current $92,400 salary, according to figures provided by Coast Mountain. The company announced it would offer employees a 13.5% increase in pay to $104,886 after three years.
O’Neill said it’s a question of injustice. “A group of our members do the same jobs at TransLink as other transit workers, but our members doing the same jobs are paid significantly less.”
Coast Mountain’s proposal also includes a 13.5 percent increase for shift service supervisors and transportation communications center supervisors, less than the 20 percent increase the union is seeking.
O’Neill said the company’s additional cost on the wage proposal is less than 0.05% of CMBC’s 2024 budget for wages, salaries and benefits, adding: “This is essentially a rounding error. , they refuse to address the pay inequalities that still exist.” ”
After hearing news of a possible strike on Monday, transit users reacted with alarm and dismay.
“I don’t know how I’m going to get to work if the bus isn’t running,” Debbie Flores said as she waited for a bus at Main Street and 16th Avenue in east Vancouver.
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She works as a nanny and commutes daily by bus and Skytrain from her home in Surrey to Vancouver.
You may be able to walk to the nearest SkyTrain station, but it takes 45 minutes each way. “It would make life even more difficult for me.”
Joshua Kim of the UBC Alma mater Association said students were worried about how they would get to classes at the Point Gray campus if a strike occurred.
“Students rely heavily on public transportation, especially Line 99-B, Line R4, and Buses 25 and 49, to get to campus for their education,” Kim said, adding that many He noted that private cars and ride-sharing options may be out of reach for many. student.
The escalation came after the traffic regulator began banning overtime on January 6, following failed mediation earlier this year.
CUPE 4500 members have not signed a contract since December 31, 2022. Negotiations began in October but reached an impasse after two weeks of negotiations. In the Dec. 5 vote, members voted 100 percent in favor of a strike.
The new year began with two days of scheduled mediation on January 2nd and 3rd under mediator Vince Reddy. However, neither side was satisfied, and as a result, CUPE 4500 members moved to ban overtime.
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Mr O’Neill said: “We are disappointed that passengers will experience disruption, but we do not have a choice.” “Unless Coast Mountain commits to ensuring that transit supervisors receive the same pay as others doing similar work and takes our workload issues seriously, we have no choice. There’s no room for that.”
O’Neill said he did not speak for other unions that also represent transit workers, but said CUPE 4500 plans to set up picket lines near bus stops and some train stations.
“And probably no other unions will cross there. So our assumption is that there will be no buses or Seabuses running during that 48-hour period,” he said.
CUPE 4500 members employed by Coast Mountain serve as supervisors overseeing transportation, maintenance, service, communications, field training, engineering, and parts.
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