Transit strike to persist Monday but worst may be yet to come
Credit to Author: Matt Robinson| Date: Mon, 04 Nov 2019 00:51:05 +0000
The head union negotiator in the continuing transit dispute in Metro Vancouver says most of the system should be functioning Monday, but warns the broken down talks between workers and transit authorities will lead to a full-scale work stoppage.
That message came from Gavin McGarrigle, Unifor’s western regional director and lead negotiator, on Sunday amid dozens of cancelled weekend sailings for the SeaBus, which connects North Shore riders to Downtown Vancouver, and some bus-trip disruptions that delayed passengers from their destinations.
Union leaders say cancelled SeaBus sailings are expected again Monday, and bus routes may see cancellations by the end of the week unless something gives in the dispute.
TransLink didn’t respond to a request for comment.
McGarrigle asked for help from transit users to encourage authorities to resume negotiating.
“We know the passengers are behind us and we’re asking the passengers to reach out to the mayors, TransLink and Coast Mountain Bus Company and talk about how important the system is to them, because we know where this is going to end. It’s going to eventually end in a full-scale work stoppage,” he said. “If the 100,000-plus passengers who are out there every day pass on what they’re already telling our members on the road, then I think that message will be overwhelming.”
Contract talks between the two sides broke off Thursday and job action began Friday. That action started with transit operators refusing to wear uniforms, and an overtime ban by the company’s technicians and other skilled-trades workers.
Mike McDaniel, president of Coast Mountain, previously told Postmedia News that it could not keep the SeaBus running at its most frequent intervals with the OT ban. Transport Canada requires an engineer on board every sailing, but the transit authorities have too few engineers to cover the schedule.
Mike Smith, president of Unifor Local 2200, which represents maintenance and SeaBus workers, said the transit system is “cut so close to the bone” that for several years it has been unable to operate without relying on overtime.
“The system is broken and it needs to get fixed. Our members are taking away valuable time with their families, which everybody should be entitled to, basically to keep this service running. We’ve just had enough,” he said. “We deserve respect and dignity, and that’s what we’re fighting for. And not only for the workers … but also for the passengers.”
Balbir Mann, president of Unifor Local 111, which represents transit operators, said his members “are really pumped up” and want to see a big change in their working conditions. Mann said most routes have one- or two-minute turnarounds and some operators are now driving three-to-four-hour stretches “like robots,” trying to keep up with schedules.
“The running times are so bad from one end to the other end. They’re so unpredictable. It’s hard to do in a car, and imagine we’re picking up people, there’s wheelchairs, there’s a growing elderly population in our region,” he said.
Unifor is seeking a 15.2 per cent increase compounded over four years for bus drivers and 16.7 per cent compounded over four years for maintenance workers. The employer, Coast Mountain, is offering 9.6 per cent for drivers and 12.2 per cent for maintenance workers.
On Friday, McDaniel said the union had repeatedly refused the company’s suggestion of a third-party mediator to help resolve the dispute.