Job action by 5,000 Metro Vancouver transit workers will escalate Friday, with bus drivers refusing to work overtime, if a collective agreement isn’t reached in the next two days.
On Tuesday, after almost two weeks of stalled talks and limited strike action, Unifor, the union that represents bus and SeaBus operators and maintenance workers, reached out to the Coast Mountain Bus Company, an operating firm of regional transit authority TransLink, to resume bargaining. Sessions are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday.
“We will see whether or not the company is serious about achieving a resolution to this dispute, and if they are, bargaining can be wrapped up in a matter of hours,” said Gavin McGarrigle, Unifor’s western regional director, who said the union remains “deeply skeptical” of the company’s motives.
If a deal isn’t reached, strike action will escalate Friday with a one-day OT ban for bus drivers. Drivers have already been instructed to refuse overtime shifts for that day.
“We will also consider additional days next week and in the weeks to come,” McGarrigle said. “Ultimately, disruption will continue to escalate until a full strike will occur. We know that the impact of this escalation will significantly impact service for the passengers this Friday, and in various other ways to come.”
The union has estimated that 10-15 per cent of bus service would be taken offline if drivers were to refuse OT.
Both the union and TransLink have said it’s difficult to predict what bus routes could be affected by a driver overtime ban.
In an emailed statement, Coast Mountain president Mike McDaniel said he welcomes the return to bargaining and said he’s optimistic that the two sides can find common ground.
“We are encouraged by this development and look forward to reaching an agreement which works for all parties involved,” McDaniel said.
Thus far, job action has consisted of a uniform ban for bus drivers and an overtime ban for maintenance workers.
As of Tuesday afternoon, there had been 126 SeaBus sailing cancellations since the strike began Nov. 1, and last Friday frequency was reduced on 25 bus routes during the morning rush because of the OT ban by maintenance workers.
TransLink spokeswoman Jill Drews said the transit authority uses “a relatively small amount of overtime,” with 4.8 per cent of all bus-maintenance hours paid as OT last year, and 10 per cent of SeaBus staff hours.
According to TransLink, bus service has since returned to almost normal — maintenance workers were able to catch up over the weekend — with only four trip cancellations related to job action Tuesday morning. Drews said the number of buses the company has in reserve to replace out-of-service buses varies day-to-day.
Wages and working conditions for bus drivers are the major issues.
The deal being offered to transit workers includes a 12.2-per-cent pay increase for skilled trades over four years, and a 9.6-per-cent pay increase for transit operators over the same period. The company has also offered to implement measures to improve working conditions.
Under the current contract, conventional bus drivers start at $22.83 an hour during a 30-day training period, then go from $24.46 an hour to $32.61 an hour after 24 months of employment. Those driving 40- and 60-foot buses get benefits that include medical, vision and dental, a pension plan and family bus passes.
Unifor is seeking an increase of 15.2 per cent over four years for bus drivers and 16.7 per cent over four years for maintenance workers. It’s also asking for improved benefits and better working conditions, including a guaranteed minimum break time for drivers while they’re on shift.
McGarrigle said the company’s last offer was “ridiculous” and said it had loopholes “big enough to drive a SeaBus through.”
Coast Mountain has said the union’s request would work out to an added $680 million in costs over 10 years, while the company’s offer would mean an increase of $71 million over 10 years.
Last week Coast Mountain asked the union to return to bargaining, but the union refused because it said the company had failed to address a wage gap for skilled-trades workers and minimum breaks for bus drivers.
B.C. Premier John Horgan, who warned last week that lengthy job action, similar to a four-month transit strike in 2001, will not be tolerated, said he was grateful to hear the two parties were planning to resume bargaining.
“I believe in free collective bargaining — it’s the way forward,” Horgan said Tuesday afternoon, after an unrelated announcement in Richmond. “I’m hopeful that both sides will be able to find an agreement so the travelling public will carry on and go about their business. That’s the objective that we all want, whether we’re on the workers’ side of the table or on the employer’s side.”
— With files from Gordon McIntyre
jensaltman@postmedia.com
twitter.com/jensaltman
Related
Metro post-secondary schools operate as normal
Metro Vancouver post-secondary students hoping the transit strike will delay their term papers and exams may find themselves disappointed.
The University of B.C., Simon Fraser University and other schools are operating as normal and encouraging students, faculty and staff to consider carpooling, car-sharing and cycling, after the union representing transit workers warned that job action could escalate by the end of this week.
The schools are urging people to keep an eye on TransLink’s alerts website as well as their own social media channels for information about transit operations.
“Classes are proceeding, and faculty and staff are expected to attend work,” said a UBC campus notification sent out Tuesday. “However, you are advised to plan for a potentially longer commute.”
“All activities and operations continue as scheduled at SFU, including classes, labs, tutorials, and exams,” an SFU update said.
UBC says the Vancouver campus will not close in the event of an all-out strike. The university has formed a working group to keep an eye on the situation and find ways to mitigate any strike impact. SFU has a contingency-planning team doing the same, and says it will provide an update if transit disruptions escalate.
Both universities are advising students to contact their professors or instructors if they are unable to get to campus due to strike activity.
They are recommending students, staff and faculty proactively consider arranging alternative transport.
BCIT, Langara, Douglas and Kwantlen also say they will continue to operate as normal, and are warning people to find other ways to get to class.
Meantime, BCAA’s car-sharing firm Evo says more customers are signing up for the service, which operates in Vancouver, North Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster and the Vancouver International Airport, as well as SFU, UBC and BCIT.
Evo spokeswoman Sara Holland said in an email that sign-ups were up 36 per cent in the days following Nov. 1, when job action began, compared to the same period last year.
“It’s hard for us to know if that’s tied to the transit job action, but we have seen an increase,” Holland said.
Holland said Evo is watching the situation closely, increasing staffing at its call centre, and may set up “pop-up” home zones as well as move cars close to SkyTrain stations and along busy transit corridors.
The company also recently started offering free metered parking which allows members to park closer to transit stations.
— Nick Eagland
neagland@postmedia.com
twitter.com/nickeagland
