Vancouver's transit strike will begin with uniform and overtime ban: union
Credit to Author: Tiffany Crawford| Date: Thu, 31 Oct 2019 14:49:11 +0000
The union representing about 5,000 Vancouver’s transit workers says if negotiations fail then a strike will begin Friday with a uniform and overtime ban.
As negotiations continue, transit workers have announced that, should a tentative agreement not be reached by 8 a.m., strike action will begin with a uniform ban by transit operators and an overtime ban by maintenance workers, Unifor said Thursday.
Unifor president Jerry Dias says their goal is a fair contract that ensures members are working under safe and reasonable conditions.
“To minimize the disruption to the public while still ramping up pressure on the employer, we have chosen a measured level of strike action in the first phase,” he said, in a statement.
Beginning Friday, transit operators on all routes will not be wearing the Coast Mountain Bus Company uniform, and the company’s technicians and skilled trades workers will be refusing overtime shifts.
Uniform says members hope this action will highlight their need for a fair contract.
“It is a strange experience to see an operator out of uniform, and we hope that starts conversations with the passengers about our struggle with this employer to get a fair deal,” said the union’s lead negotiator Gavin McGarrigle.
The union says the overtime ban for maintenance workers will gradually increase pressure on the system and will lead to fewer buses on the roads, which could also affect SeaBus service.
Contract talks are planned for Thursday and into the evening.
The workers issued a strike notice on Monday.
If they begin job action Friday, it will be the first time since 2001 that there has been a disruption to bus services due to strike action.
In 2001 the strike lasted four months.
Dias has accused Coast Mountain Bus Company of “showing little respect for the difficult working conditions that our members must face every day.”
Over 5,000 Coast Mountain Bus Company employees are represented by Unifor Local 2200 (maintenance and SeaBus workers) and Unifor Local 111 (bus and shuttle drivers).
The unions claim the sticking points are working conditions, wages and benefits.
Coast Mountain Bus Company has said it had been negotiating since August 1, and that it remains committed to reaching an acceptable negotiated settlement.
SkyTrain workers are also working without a contract but have not issued strike notice.
ticrawford@postmedia.com
-With files from David Carrigg