Metro Vancouver transit strike over for now

All systems are a go on Wednesday morning as the union ends its 48-hour strike that affected both bus and SeaBus services across Metro Vancouver.

As of Wednesday, talks have stalled with wages being one of the key issues between the two sides — CUPE 4500 and Coast Mountain Bus Company (CMBC).

However, in an update mid-morning, the B.C. government says it has appointed Vince Ready as a special mediator in the ongoing bargaining dispute.

This would allow him to make recommendations that would be made public.

He had already been acting as a mediator between CUPE 4500 and Coast Mountain Bus Company.

Starting Thursday, Ready will work with both sides “for a period of up to six days to secure a resolution.” The province says if a deal isn’t reached in that time, Ready will issue recommendations on Feb. 2, after which the union and employer will have five days to either accept or reject those proposals.

This comes after bus and SeaBus service was shut down for two days this week.

Lawrence Frank, professor of urban studies and planning at UBC, says the strike shows how badly the Lower Mainland needs access to a reliable bus system.

“There’s a significant dependence on transit. It’s a region that has worked hard to gain the confidence of the public in the reliability and functionality of the transit system.”

He adds it’s going to be important for everyone involved to gain back the public’s trust in the system, something which he believes is now broken.

“The bus system serves a lot of transit trips. It’s not just people using SkyTrain… the bus system really gets out in the neighbourhoods in a lot of areas where rail is not possible. It’s a critical component of the system.”

Despite the high walkability in many areas of the Lower Mainland, Frank says there’s room for improvement.

“Transit ridership is typically two different types, roughly speaking. There are people who can choose to use transit, who have other options, those are choice-riders. And those that are dependent.

“The choice-riders aren’t really harmed because they have other options, but it’s really the dependent population that are underserved, that are disadvantaged, who have moved to less expensive places because the more walkable parts of the region have become more expensive in recent years.”

He also points to areas where sidewalk safety is an issue which can lead to higher cases of injury or death.

Frank says those who are the most harmed by a labour rift like this are the most vulnerable — those who have no way of leaving their home with access to transit.

Don’t expect the NDP government to get involved anytime soon to help broker a deal.

Will the province intervene?

CityNews’ Legislative Reporter Liza Yuzda says it’s highly unlikely, and politically dangerous, for the provincial government to force them back to work right now.

“Most governments, in general, loathe to force an agreement when there is a contract negotiation between an employer and a union. This government would be especially unlikely to mandate a deal at the best of times, but this year, being an election year, it’s even less likely.”

On Tuesday, the union that represents bus drivers and other transit workers didn’t hold back when expressing their frustration at the situation.

Unifor Local 111, which represents more than 4,000 transit operators, and Local 2200, which represents 1,100 workers in the trades, support, and SeaBus operations, took aim at CMBC and TransLink.

“This is Coast Mountain Bus Company’s strike,” said Unifor Western Regional Director Gavin McGarrigle. He went on to say CMBC “decided to shut down the system in advance of the CUPE strike deadline” in what was described as a “callous calculation.”

McGarrigle added Unifor’s members “are very concerned” with the situation, adding they “know they have an obligation to the public and want to be out there serving [them].”

In an update on Monday, CUPE 4500 said there was a “long-standing wage discrepancy.” Spokesperson Liam O’Neill claimed his members “do the same work as other supervisors in TransLink, and yet, they’re paid less.”

TransLink CEO Kevin Quinn called that out, saying CMBC supervisors and SkyTrain supervisors are “two very different positions.”

–With files from Srushti Gangdev, Liza Yuzda, Dean Recksiedler and Hana Mae Nassar