Fraser Valley transit strike nears 4 months

The transit strike in the Fraser Valley is about to hit the four-month mark.

Bus drivers and maintenance workers first walked off the job on March 20.

While that’s when a full strike began, service disruptions started months earlier as talks faltered between the CUPE 561 members and First Transit.

Union workers have been calling for a new contract, citing concerns about low wages, poor working conditions, and a lack of pension.

FILE – Members of CUPE 561 pictured in March 2023. The Fraser Valley transit strike is nearing the four-month mark as unionized workers and their employer remain without an agreement. (CityNews Image)

There had been some optimism last month when high-profile mediator Vince Ready was brought in to find some middle ground.

However, so far, Ready hasn’t be able to bridge the differences between the unionized workers and the employer.

“The prolonged absence of transportation has had real impacts on residents in the region,” B.C. Labour Ministre Harry Bains said on June 8.

He noted the dispute has been “incredibly challenging” for folks who rely on the transit system in the Fraser Valley — a point that has been reiterated by many people who have spoken to CityNews.

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Some locals have detailed the financial stress they’ve undergone in order to get around without the use of transit, while others explained the lack of service was leading to emotional and mental stress.

“This is definitely taking a hit on her ability to be independent. It’s taking a hit on [her] anxiety because she wants to know exactly what’s happening. And when it’s not the same every day, that causes her anxiety to be worse,” Sylvia, a mother in Abbotsford, explained about her daughter, who has physical and intellectual disabilities.

“The hit is directly on our people with disabilities. It is on anybody who relies on using HandyDART or the bus system, it is on their independence, and it, in the end, affects their health, their well-being.

At the time Ready was appointed, Bains said the mediator would assist in settling the terms of a new collective agreement and report back to the province.

CUPE 561 says contract talks with First Transit have been ongoing since last spring.

-With files from Charlie Carey