Sea to Sky transit workers, employer reach tentative deal: Union
Posted May 27, 2022 9:27 pm.
Last Updated May 27, 2022 10:43 pm.
A months-long transit worker strike in the Sea to Sky region may be soon coming to an end after the union and employer reached a tentative agreement Friday.
Unifor Local 114 says the deal was reached after mediated sessions of negotiations with BC Transit third-party contractor PW Transit.
Transit workers in Squamish, Whistler, and Pemberton have been on strike since Jan. 29. Wages were among the top issues cited by the union in the ongoing discussions.
“This dispute has gone on for quite a number of weeks. Our members have been very determined on wages, benefits, pension, pointing out the disparity with other communities, and fighting hard for a fair deal that they can recommend to their members,” Gavin McGarrigle, Unifor Western Regional Director, told CityNews Friday.
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McGarrigle says members have been “very determined,” adding “there was no question that if we hadn’t have seen some movement toward a deal, our members would have lasted for as long as it took.”
He notes workers have maintained a picket line “through rain and snow” for months, drawing support from locals. McGarrigle adds operators have demonstrated how important transit service is to the communities.
“The politicians are talking about regional transit service being expanded there in the next few years — we want to be a big part of that, but I don’t think that, as we sit here today in June 2022, that the people in that region understand exactly how important transit is, and more importantly the workers who provide it, and how it’s connected to all of the workers who are working the Sea to Sky, including hundreds of Unifor members who work at many hotels there,” he explained.
The tentative agreement, which Unifor says is “unanimously recommended by the Local 114 bargaining committee,” still needs to be ratified. Transit operators in the Squamish, Whistler, and Pemberton areas will vote on the deal on Monday, May 30.
“Once ratified, service will resume when it is safe to do so,” a release from the union reads.
CityNews has reached out to BC Transit for comment.
-With files from Renee Bernard
