New deal reached: Threat of West Vancouver Blue Bus strike averted
There is no longer any imminent threat of another strike of public transit services in Metro Vancouver.
On Wednesday, according to the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) 134, West Vancouver Blue Bus drivers and mechanics voted 88% in favour of a new two-year collective agreement with the employer, the District of West Vancouver.
ATU represents 150 workers under Blue Bus, which has a fleet of 64 buses that see about 18,000 boardings daily.
Although it is integrated with TransLink’s fare system, Blue Bus is separately owned and operated by the District of West Vancouver, and it is responsible for most of the bus routes that run between downtown Vancouver and West Vancouver.
This follows last week’s membership vote that approved a strike, with 96% of members voting in favour of escalating the dispute into job action.
“We want to thank all of our union members for their strong support and all of our valued riders in West Vancouver District for their backing in our efforts to negotiate a fair collective agreement,” said ATU Local 134 president Cornel Neagu in a statement. “We are pleased to reach a new contract without being forced to take job action and look forward to providing even better transit service for our riders with the improvements made to working conditions.”
In September 2022, a full shutdown of the Blue Bus was narrowly averted, when the District of West Vancouver reached an agreement with ATU at the 11th hour. That contract expired at the end of March 2024.