TransLink confirms full bus and SeaBus shutdown possible due to strike escalation

TransLink's SeaBus (Alena Charykova/Shutterstock) and R5 RapidBus (EJ Nickerson/Shutterstock)

Metro Vancouver’s public transit buses and SeaBus services could be severely disrupted starting Monday morning following a threat made by the union representing 180 bus operations supervisors this morning.

Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 4500 issued an ultimatum calling on Coast Mountain Bus Company (CMBC), the TransLink division responsible for operating and maintaining the region’s bus and SeaBus network, to reach a “fair collective agreement” before the start of service on Monday, January 22.

If an agreement is not reached, the current job action of an overtime ban will significantly escalate into a complete walkout of the 180 supervisors who coordinate, lead, and oversee thousands of bus drivers, mechanics, engineers, and operations and maintenance workers.

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All supervisors will withdraw their services starting at 3 am Monday for at least 48 hours, which could result in a full shutdown of bus and SeaBus services.

In response, CMBC president and general manager Michael McDaniel says the union’s threats are “disappointing.”

“It’s disappointing that the union representing approximately 180 transit supervisors is threatening to disrupt the lives of hundreds of thousands of people who depend on the bus and SeaBus each day over a wage dispute. We urge the union to immediately end their job action and return to the bargaining table with realistic expectations,” said McDaniel in a statement this afternoon.

He also confirmed that a pullout of all supervisors could result in a full shutdown of TransLink’s bus and SeaBus services.

This could be the first full shutdown of Metro Vancouver’s bus and SeaBus services due to job action since the fall of 2019, when Unifor, representing bus drivers and SeaBus workers, escalated their disruptions.

“If the union proceeds with picket lines, there could be major impacts to our services up to a full shutdown of the SeaBus and bus system. Any impacts to service will be communicated to customers as they are known,” continued McDaniel.

He reiterated that CMBC’s main sticking point remains the union’s request for a 25% wage increase for the supervisors over three years.

Additionally, in the backdrop of the union’s ultimatum, CMBC has released today a full breakdown of the existing salaries of the supervisors, CMBC’s latest offer, and the request made by CUPE, which the employer has deemed unrealistic.

According to CMBC, the union is asking for a 25% increase for transit supervisors, supervisors of mechanics, and other unspecified trades supervisors, with their salaries increasing to between $115,477 and $141,606 after three years. Transit supervisors account for about 33% of the 180 supervisors represented by CUPE.

Shift service supervisors and t-comm supervisors would see a smaller rate of increase of 20.5% and 20%, respectively, over three years, based on the union’s demands.

CMBC’s latest counteroffer is an increase of between 13.5% and 24.5% for these supervisors over three years. But CMBC states the union has rejected the latest offer on the table.

Here is CMBC’s full breakdown:

Transit Supervisor:
- Existing salary (not including overtime): $92,415
- CMBC offer (after three years): $104,886 (+13.5%)
- Union demand (after three years): $115,477 (+25%)
T-Comm Supervisor:
- Existing salary (not including overtime): $96,398
- CMBC offer (after three years): $109,385 (+13.5%)
- Union demand (after three years): $115,477 (+20%)
Shift Service Supervisor:
- Existing salary (not including overtime): $88,437
- CMBC offer (after three years): $100,392 (+13.5%)
- Union demand (after three years): $106,483 (+20.5%)
Supervisor of Mechanics:
- Existing salary (not including overtime): $113,799
- CMBC offer (after three years): $141,606 (+24.5%)
- Union demand (after three years): $141,606 (+25%)
Other trades supervisors:
- Existing salary (not including overtime): $113,799
- CMBC offer (after three years): $130,754 (+15%)
- Union demand (after three years): $141,606 (+25%)

CMBC states its offered wage increases are “consistent” with other recent public sector agreements and consistent with the 2023 agreement reached with Unifor for CMBC’s bus drivers. The agreement with Unifor covering over 4,000 bus drivers spans a three-year term between April 2023 and March 2026, with wage increases between 11.25% and 12.5% over the three-year life of the contract, plus other concessions.

“Simply put, it is unreasonable for this group of supervisors to demand nearly double the increase that all other CMBC unions have accepted,” said McDaniel.

Workers for West Vancouver Blue Bus, SkyTrain’s Expo and Millennium lines, SkyTrain Canada Line, and West Coast Express are also not part of this job action, as they are under different union representation. Under labour laws, other public transit services are unable to increase their services to make up for any reduced bus capacity.

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