Metro Vancouver bus and SeaBus workers vote to go on strike
Credit to Author: Tiffany Crawford| Date: Fri, 11 Oct 2019 14:38:22 +0000
Bus and SeaBus workers in Metro Vancouver have voted overwhelmingly in favour of going on strike
The drivers and maintenance crews are employed by Coast Mountain Bus Company, which handles Metro Vancouver transit services on behalf of TransLink.
Unifor, the union representing about 5,000 of the transit workers, said 99 per cent voted Thursday for a strike mandate, after negotiations for a new collective agreement broke off on Oct. 3.
“Our members take the responsibility of providing safe, dependable public transportation seriously and they’re asking Coast Mountain to properly recognize the dedication and effort that the workers put in day in and day out to properly deliver it,” said Unifor National President Jerry Dias, in a statement.
Dias says a significant increase in ridership has strained available resources and eroded working conditions.
Unifor Western Regional Director Gavin Mpcgarrigle says the system overload is impacting breaks and recovery time in between trips as drivers struggle to maintain service.
“The end result is overworked drivers and that’s a serious safety issue that must be dealt with at the table,” he said.
The workers have been without a contract since March 31. Negotiations between the union and the company are set to resume Tuesday.
The union says a strike mandate will be in effect for 90 days.
ticrawford@postmedia.com
-With a file from The Canadian Press