Union representing Metro Vancouver bus and SeaBus workers threatens strike | Daily Hive

TransLink

Public transit workers across Metro Vancouver are moving toward another possible labour dispute after contract negotiations between Unifor and TransLink operating subsidiary Coast Mountain Bus Company (CMBC) broke down over what the union describes as sweeping concession demands.

Unifor announced today that it is now seeking a strike mandate from members of Locals 111 and 2200 after bargaining talks stalled following months of negotiations.

Unifor Local 111 represents over 4,000 CMBC bus drivers, while Local 2200 represents more than 1,100 skilled trades and service workers with the bus fleet and SeaBus workers. Together, the two entities represent over 5,000 public transit workers across Metro Vancouver.

The previous three-year collective agreement for these workers expired on March 31, 2026, with that contract providing wage increases between 11.25 per cent and 12.5 per cent over the life of the contract, benefits coverage increases across 10 categories, shift premiums of up to $2.05 per hour, more generous vacation allowances, a weekly minimum work hours guarantee for community shuttle bus drivers, and improved watch differentials for SeaBus workers.

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This new threat of public transit labour action comes just weeks before Vancouver begins hosting the first of seven FIFA World Cup matches.

The last labour dispute of Metro Vancouver public transit workers occurred in late 2023 and culminated in early 2024, involving over 180 workers — employed in the key positions of transit managers and supervisors — under the separate union entity of CUPE Local 4500 walking off the job in late January 2024. As workers under different unions could not cross picket lines, that strike led to major bus service disruptions across the region and continued service uncertainty for weeks, and there was also a threat of labour action spilling into other unions representing SkyTrain and SeaBus workers as a measure of solidarity. However, with the help of mediation, a full strike-induced shutdown of all services was narrowly averted in early February 2024.

Among the issues raised by the union at this time for the 5,000 frontline bus and SeaBus workers are proposals related to employee break conditions, health and safety standards and job protections. Unifor claims some of the employer proposals could leave workers without reliable access to potable water or working washrooms during breaks. The union also alleges that CMBC is seeking changes that would weaken limits on excessive shift lengths for operators and alter standards for first aid coverage.

The union is also opposing CMBC’s proposals that would expand contracting out of skilled trades work and permit supervisors to perform bargaining unit duties, arguing such changes would threaten the quality and stability of public transit jobs.

“Transit workers keep Metro Vancouver moving every single day, and they deserve an employer that comes to the table ready to bargain in good faith,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne in a statement.

“Instead, Coast Mountain Bus Company is demanding concessions that would chip away at workplace safety, strip dignity from the job and undermine the basic rights of the union. That is not how you reach a fair deal.”

According to the union, the negotiations for a new contract began on Feb. 2, 2026, but talks deteriorated after the employer refused to withdraw proposals the union says would weaken workplace protections and allow more contracting out of transit work.

“The members of Locals 111 and 2200 have bargained in good faith for months, and they are ready to keep working for a fair deal,” said Gavin McGarrigle, the western regional director for Unifor.

“But Coast Mountain Bus Company needs to understand that attacks on safety, on dignity and on the union itself will not be accepted. These workers move hundreds of thousands of people every day, and they have earned a contract that respects that responsibility.”

Unifor asserted it remains committed to reaching a negotiated settlement and called on CMBC to return to the bargaining table.

In a statement to Daily Hive Urbanized upon inquiry, CMBC says it is committed to reaching an agreement.

“CMBC remains committed to reaching a fair agreement with Unifor Locals 111 and 2200,” reads the statement from CMBC.

“As we are still in the middle stages of bargaining, the parties have several terms to work through in order to reach an agreement. There is no current impact to bus or SeaBus service, which continue to operate as normal.”

The union’s demands come at a time of falling ridership on Metro Vancouver’s public transit system in 2025 due to a population growth slowdown — a direct result of changes in the federal government’s immigration policies and economic uncertainty. This includes fewer young adults riding the system.

TransLink’s previous financial performance updates also note that higher labour costs as a result of the previous labour contract agreements have been one of its major operating cost pressures.

As well, the public transit authority continues to face a major structural revenue shortfall, with the current revenue gaps temporarily bridged by a final $312-million operating subsidy from the provincial government — covering a major portion of the shortfalls between 2025 and 2027. TransLink has hiked fares, the property tax, and the parking tax to cover the remaining portion of the shortfall, and to fund improved services to reduce overcrowding. The provincial government has promised to enact legislation to provide TransLink with a new revenue stream starting in 2028 to replace the revenues, but it has yet to indicate what that new source could be.

The other major public transit union is Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) 7000, which represents over 1,000 SkyTrain workers on the Expo and Millennium lines under TransLink operating subsidiary BC Rapid Transit Company. CUPE 7000 members are in the midst of a five-year contract that will end on Aug. 31, 2028, with the life of the agreement providing general wage increases of 6.75 per cent, plus two per cent to three per cent depending on the Consumer Price Index average, and 2.5 per cent for the remaining three years. Workers also received premium increases, including improvements to health benefits and the sick plan and concessions to working conditions, such as limits to forced overtime.

In early 2025, about 180 SkyTrains workers on the Canada Line — represented by British Columbia General Employees’ Union (BCGEU), and employed by ProTrans BC — secured their own five-year contract, ending in December 2028. It provided significant wage increases over the life of the contract, as well as improved shift premiums and benefits.

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