Over 40 buses cancelled as transit strike rolls into 7th day
Dozens of bus runs were cancelled this morning due to the ongoing transit strike.
Gavin McGarrigle, Unifor Western Regional Director and lead negotiator, has confirmed with Daily Hive that a total of 41 bus runs were cancelled earlier today.
“It’s a complex system, but we’re seeing segments of different routes be affected,” said McGarrigle in a phone interview. “We’re also hearing that some routes in Surrey are starting to be affected. That’s just today — it’s only looking to get worse.”
“TransLink says that they want us back to the table but they don’t want to talk about the key issues,” he added.
Until now, the job action has only impacted SeaBus service.
The cancellations come after talks between Coast Mountain Bus Company (CMBC) and the union representing TransLink’s bus drivers and SeaBus workers broke off last week.
Encompassing nearly 5,000 employees, the first phase of labour action includes a uniform ban by transit operators and an overtime ban by maintenance workers.
In a statement sent this morning, CMBC President Michael McDaniel said that yesterday the company “formally asked the union to come back to the bargaining table to discuss working conditions for bus operators, but they have once again refused.”
“We’re ready to talk at the bargaining table, but we can’t negotiate with ourselves. We need the union to return to the bargaining table. Union representatives have repeatedly refused our suggestion of bringing in a third-party mediator to help resolve the situation,” he said.
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