Transit services in Metro Vancouver impacted by labor dispute

Due to an ongoing labor dispute in Vancouver between The Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 4500 and Coast Mountain Bus Company, 180 workers walked off the job today for a two day planned shutdown.

The job action, which began at 3 a.m. PT, comes three weeks after the workers began refusing overtime. The union represents transit supervisors, communications supervisors and a range of other roles.

TransLink says it expects bus and SeaBus services to resume Wednesday.

Unions representing other transit workers have said they will not cross picket lines. However, CUPE 4500 says it may seek to picket additional sites, if the Labour Relations Board allows them. The other sites could be Skytrain maintenance facilities or stations.

The Expo and Millennium Lines as well as the Canada line will continue to operate. As well as the West Coast Express, and HandyDART. The community shuttle service in both Langley and Bowen Island will also operate.

Coast Mountain president Michael McDaniel says the union has refused to adjust its demand for wage increases despite efforts to reach a compromise.

“CMBC offered increased overtime pay, improved benefits, and committed to hiring more supervisors,” McDaniel says in a statement. “Unfortunately, the union again refused the improved offer. This is unacceptable and unreasonable.”

McDaniel said last week that the union was seeking a 25 per cent wage increase.

The union says members need wage gaps with other TransLink supervisors closed before any lasting settlement is reached.

“With the help of our mediator, CUPE 4500 put in an honest effort to find some common ground with Coast Mountain,” O’Neill says. “But we are still not near where we need to be in addressing our key issues.”

The labour dispute comes after an overtime ban began 3 weeks ago.

I also wrote about the strike notice and what it could mean as well. Read that article here