All bus services – SeaBus, SkyTrain, Canada Line and West Coast Express – are expected to continue operating this weekend.
TransLink announced Metro Vancouver transit services will resume normal operations after reaching an agreement with the union the day before the scheduled strike.
The transit agency advised passengers on social media that all services, including buses, SeaBus, SkyTrain, Canada Line and West Coast Express, will resume from February 2 through the weekend.
This update follows several weeks of negotiations between CUPE Local 4500, the union representing some transit supervisors, and their employer, Coast Mountain Bus Company (CMBC), a TransLink company. It was announced after collective bargaining.
On Thursday afternoon, the union and CMBC accepted a recommendation from special mediator Vince Reddy aimed at preventing another transit strike. The union said the recommendation was a “compromise acceptable to its members” that went far enough to address several key issues.
The union told VIA it would not release details of its recommendations publicly until members are asked to ratify them.
Metro Vancouver transit strike averted before scheduled employment action
CMBC President and General Manager Michael McDaniel said the company accepted the recommendation, adding that the transit strike has “led to significant public hardship” over the past several weeks.
If no agreement was reached, the union planned to proceed with a 72-hour strike on all CMBC Bus and SeaBus routes starting at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, February 3.
Previous transit strikes disrupted commuters across the Lower Mainland, forcing many local residents to pay exorbitant prices for ride-hailing services or to miss or be late for work or school.
CUPE 4500 had also applied to the BC Labor Relations Board (BCLRB) to extend picket lines to the SkyTrain, Canada Line and West Coast Express, but at that hearing the union refused to accept Reddy’s recommendation. No verdict had been rendered.
TransLink and other transit providers had also applied to the BCLRB for essential service designation to prevent the dispute from further impacting Metro Vancouver’s transit system.
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