After failing to reach an agreement with CMBC, the union applied to picket “allied workplaces.”
The union representing Coast Mountain Bus Company (CMBC) supervisors may extend picket lines from buses to the SkyTrain.
Union members are scheduled to return to work at 3 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 24, following a 48-hour intensification by transit inspectors, including picketing at CMBC transit centers and a complete suspension of SeaBus and bus service in Metro Vancouver. is.
All bus routes will resume operating on their regular schedules, but transit regulators will continue the ban on after-hours operations that began on January 6.
Unions say the overtime ban is impacting operations as workers often work outside normal hours to keep the system running smoothly.
TransLink disputes this view, saying it has seen no impact from the transit ban.
The union currently has not changed its position on the issue of wages and workloads, but is preparing to escalate its employment activities again.
CUPE 4500 has announced that it will meet with the BC Labor Relations Board (BCLRB) on Monday, January 29, to discuss expanding employment activities to SkyTrain early next week.
Metro Vancouver’s three SkyTrain lines, as the Expo and Millennium lines are operated by British Columbia Rapid Transit Company Limited, and the Canada Line is operated by ProTrans BC on behalf of TransLink. It is currently unclear which routes will be affected. The scope and location of picketing will be determined by the union and approved by the BCLRB.
Mark Thompson, a professor emeritus at the University of British Columbia (UBC), said unions are being “kind” by putting time limits on hiring actions. The 48-hour suspension of bus services will affect thousands of people across the region, while most unions continue to strike indefinitely.
After failing to reach an agreement with CMBC, the union applied to picket “allied workplaces.” Under BC Law, an ally is a “person (or organization) who assists an employer during a lockout.” or resisting a lawful strike;”, BCLRB reported.
In this case, your ally will be SkyTrain, operated by British Columbia Rapid Transit Company Ltd on behalf of TransLink.
Will the traffic strike extend to the SkyTrain?
Unions must issue a 72-hour notice before a strike so that employers can develop contingency plans. But if unions ramp up their hiring efforts, TransLink won’t have much recourse.
“It’s not as big as shutting down an entire transit system,” Thompson told VIA. “A union of 180 people is shutting down thousands of workers.”
The government has a variety of tools at its disposal, including a special mediator, but 20 hours of negotiations over the weekend failed to reach an agreement.
During the negotiation process, the union is typically in one room, the employer in another, and an appointed mediator moves between the two rooms to present his offer to each party.
The mediator is tasked with narrowing down each party’s top priorities and finding where concessions can be made.
In this case, the individual Vince Ready acts as a kind of “shuttle” between the parties who do not meet in person. Generally, they don’t speak directly until it’s time to shake hands, Thompson explained.
“Getting the right to picket the SkyTrain next week will give us more bargaining power,” he said. If they get the right to expand their work, it might be enough to convince CMBC to change its offer and prevent a complete shutdown of the transit network.
However, at this point, it is unclear what direction the discussions will take.
CUPE 4500 told VIA it had no further updates on discussions or next steps.
“Anything can happen,” Thompson warned.