Transit strike avoided in Metro Vancouver as bus company and union agree to terms
A looming transit strike in Metro Vancouver this weekend has been narrowly avoided after Coast Mountain Bus Company and the union representing its transit supervisors accepted recommendations from a special mediator.
Transit supervisors were prepared to strike again starting at 12:01 am Saturday, which could have shut down bus and SeaBus service around the region. But now transit users will be able to travel as normal through the weekend and into Monday.
CUPE 4500, which represents the 180 supervisors, was the first to accept recommendations from provincially appointed mediator Vince Ready.
“While they don’t completely address our issues, these recommendations are clearly our best path towards a mutually acceptable settlement,” said CUPE 4500 spokesperson Liam O’Neill.
Coast Mountain also accepted the recommendations Thursday afternoon, saying it acknowledges the public disruption that the strike caused.
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The next step will be to sign a Memorandum of Agreement before the ratification process.
There was already a 48-hour strike last month when the region was plunged into chaos as ride-share prices surged.
The union was in the process of asking the BC Labour Relations Board for permission to expand picket lines to also shut down SkyTrain Service, arguing TransLink and other employers worked together to undermine the effectiveness of the strike by siphoning riders to other forms of transportation.
At the same time, the employers asked the Labour Relations Board for an essential service designation, which would have forced striking employees back to work.
All that has been avoided, though, after the tentative agreement at the bargaining table was reached.