Unionized Metro Vancouver employees vote in favour of strike action
Posted September 11, 2023 2:27 pm.
Last Updated September 11, 2023 4:12 pm.
Workers with the Metro Vancouver Regional District have voted in favour of strike action, their union has announced.
In a media release on Monday, the Greater Vancouver Regional District Employees’ Union said its membership voted 97.2 per cent in favour of job action against the regional district. The union represents over 600 workers.
The two sides have been in negotiations for 18 months since the collective agreement expired on Dec. 31, 2021. Since then, the union says 28 meetings have taken place, including 10 that were facilitated by a mediator. Talks broke off on Aug. 15, with the strike vote carrying through on Aug. 23.
“We are asking for fair compensation for some undervalued classifications and extended health care plan improvements comparable to other regional work groups,” the union stated.
“The Employer is demanding concessions to hours of work, short-term illness and injury health plan, and that the Union forgo its fair wage settlement protection under the collective agreement.”
The union says it is concerned the delay in finding a new deal has “adversely affected worker retention and recruitment for Metro Vancouver services with long-term negative consequences for the Region.”
Affected workers represent a range of departments in the regional district, including watershed management, water distribution, water treatment and disinfection, wastewater collection and treatment, affordable housing, regional parks, and air quality monitoring.
