Metro Vancouver commuters relieved SkyTrain strike averted

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Many SkyTrain commuters are relieved a possible three-day strike was averted on Tuesday.

CUPE 7000, the union representing SkyTrain workers, and their employer, the BC Rapid Transit Company, had reached a tentative deal minutes before the 5:00 a.m. deadline.

NEWS 1130 asked commuters how the last-minute agreement impacted the way they got around Tuesday morning. Based on the responses we received, many were happy their commute was not drastically disrupted.

“We got up very early today,” said one man.

“I’m glad it got resolved … it just saves a lot of hassle,” another person, Samantha, said.

Many commuters said the Expo and Millennium Line shut down would have added extra minutes, and sometimes hours, to their commute.

“I was going to get the Canada Line to Richmond but that would have taken a bit of extra time, including another bus … it’s more convenient, obviously. I googled it the second I woke up and I knew I’d be alright,” one woman told NEWS 1130.

The Canada Line, buses, SeaBuses, and the West Coast Express would not have been impacted by a possible strike.

One TransLink passenger said they would have had to “figure it out,” adding they did not have a contingency plan.

CUPE served 72-hour strike notice on Saturday. The strike would have shut down Expo and Millennium lines from Tuesday morning to Friday.

Wages, forced overtime, and staffing levels were among the key issues on the table.

-With files from Hana Mae Nassar