Transit strike: Bargaining to resume on Wednesday as drivers threaten overtime ban
Credit to Author: Stephanie Ip| Date: Tue, 12 Nov 2019 20:22:32 +0000
The union representing transit workers in Metro Vancouver is returning to the bargaining table on Wednesday morning, with warnings of strike escalation on Friday if talks don’t progress.
“We will see if the company is serious about achieving a resolution to this dispute and if so, bargaining can be wrapped up in a matter of hours,” said Unifor lead negotiator Gavin McGarrigle during a news conference on Tuesday morning.
According to McGarrigle, the union has heard TransLink CEO Kevin Desmond change his tune in recent days, acknowledging some of the concerns that prompted roughly 5,000 transit workers to begin job action on Nov. 1.
Bargaining teams are scheduled to return to the table on Wednesday morning but if talks aren’t productive, McGarrigle said transit operators have been advised to refuse overtime shifts beginning Friday, which would see massive impacts to bus service across the region.
Talks broke off earlier this month after the company tabled offers that included “loopholes big enough to drive a SeaBus through,” said McGarrigle.
“In short, the company decided to pick this fight,” he said, adding that passengers were the ones who “suffer from a broken model everyday.”
McGarrigle also cited massive pay increases and bonuses granted to TransLink executives, and pointed out the discrepancies between the treatment of bus workers and SkyTrain workers.
Following Tuesday’s announcement, Coast Mountain Bus Company president Michael McDaniel shared a statement that said he was “encouraged by this development.”
“Coast Mountain Bus Company welcomes the union’s return to the bargaining table. We are encouraged by this development and look forward to reaching an agreement which works for all parties involved,” said McDaniel.
“All of us are committed to providing quality transit services to our customers every day of the year. I’m optimistic that we can find common ground to ensure this can continue. Given the formal bargaining process is set to resume, we will not be providing further comment at this time.”
Coast Mountain Bus Company handles Lower Mainland bus and SeaBus routes on behalf of TransLink, but talks between the company and Unifor broke off nearly two weeks ago.
Wages, benefits and working conditions are key issues.
A ban on overtime by maintenance workers slowed or cancelled runs on about two dozen bus routes last week, and there have been frequent cancellations on the SeaBus link between Vancouver and the North Shore, including six planned cancellations late this afternoon.
The union had previously warned the overtime ban could be extended to drivers, potentially affecting as much as 15 per cent of bus service across the region; that came to fruition with Tuesday’s announcement.
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 on Tuesday afternoon, following 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.”
More to come.
–with files from Canadian Press