HandyDART strike not happening: union

The union representing HandyDART workers says it’s suspending a potential strike Friday.

Members of the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 1724 voted in favour of strike action in June, with “87 per cent of active members participating in the strike vote overall.”

The union and its employer, Transdev, had been at the negotiating table for months. However, Local 1724 President Joe McCann told 1130 NewsRadio on Aug. 15 that talks had stalled.

“We went to mediation, and we were still very far apart,” said McCann at the time.

“We’re just getting nowhere. We’ve been doing this negotiation since November last year and we’ve been without a contract since December. So escalating job action seems to be the inevitable end.”

In a update Friday afternoon, McCann says the union has received a final offer from Transdev. He added, “Effective today: we will be suspending all job action.”

He says there will be a series of information meetings on Aug. 25 and 26 about the offer.

Strike or no, HandyDART says it will still be transporting some patients, per an essential service agreement put together by the BC Labour Board.

“We’ll be picking up all people going for dialysis, cancer treatments, and MS treatments. We’ll keep those people safe, but unfortunately, that will be the only trips we’ll be doing,” said McCann.

Unionized workers have already been taking job action, by refusing to wear uniforms, collect fares, work overtime, fill out certain paperwork, and “do work off the clock.”

The next escalation would have been to walk off the job.

The union says there are staffing shortages and high turnover within the job, adding that is the result of “poor compensation in comparison to other transit jobs in the region.”

“HandyDART drivers in the Fraser Valley earn 16% more than Metro Vancouver HandyDART drivers; and Coast Mountain drivers earn 30% more,” ATU said last week.

Transdev, a multinational mobility company, is contracted by TransLink to operate all HandyDART services in Metro Vancouver.

The company previously said it was aware the union had communicated to employees its intention to strike on Aug. 26 if there is no tentative agreement by Aug. 25.

“After 25 days of collaborative collective bargaining over 9 months, and a failed attempt at mediation the union walked away from, we are disappointed that our customers will potentially be in a position of reduced service and our employees’ livelihoods will be compromised,” Transdev said.

“Transdev has offered significant wage increase between 23 per cent and 32 per cent depending on classifications, by Jan. 1, 2027.”

-With files from Charles Brockman