Metro Vancouver outside workers to set up picket lines outside Surrey, Delta works yards
Posted June 11, 2026 6:57 am.
Last Updated June 12, 2026 9:41 am.
Picket lines are being set up at Metro Vancouver facilities in Delta and Surrey — including works yards, an operation centre, and a reservoir — on Thursday, as members of the Greater Vancouver Regional District Employees’ Union (GVRDEU) escalate their job action.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO 1130 NEWSRADIO VANCOUVER LIVE!GVRDEU president Jesse Medeiros says the union is getting closer to a full-scale strike across Metro Vancouver.
“…our members are fed up with no contract for 17 months and no talks planned because management refuses to give up preconditions to return to bargaining,” he said.
“We are trying hard to minimize inconvenience to the public, but unless there are new talks, there will indeed be a full-scale strike.”
Medeiros says members’ main sticking points are health and safety conditions, work being contracted out, and recruiting and retention. He says these concerns are being ignored by their employer.
On Monday, the GVRDEU set up picket lines outside the Grouse Grind and two other regional parks but removed them a day later, saying it didn’t want to inconvenience the public. On Wednesday, rotating pickets were set up at the Northwest Langley Wastewater Treatment Plant and the Lulu Island Wastewater Treatment Plant in Richmond.
In a statement earlier this week, Metro Vancouver said it was “ready to return to the bargaining table with the support of a mediator as soon as possible, with no preconditions.”
“We have put forward 10 additional dates to resume talks, beyond those previously declined by the union, and continue to encourage a constructive path forward,” said Jillian Glover with media relations and issues management for Metro Vancouver.
“While the union has characterized mediation as is a precondition, we do not. We see it as an important and practical step, after almost a year of bargaining, to help both parties make progress and reach an agreement.”
The GVRDEU represents more than 700 members who maintain and operate regional services.
— With files from The Canadian Press
