Tourists, workers, students stranded by Metro Vancouver bus strike

VANCOUVER — Tourists Jorge Correa and Roger Leyton wanted to go to Vancouver Island on Monday, but with no bus to get them to the Tsawwassen ferry terminal, they had to make other plans. 

“We have to leave tonight so this is our last day here,” said Correa, who lives in Chicago, while Leyton was visiting Vancouver from Mexico. “We couldn’t go (to Vancouver Island) so we are upset about that.”

They were among the thousands of people affected by a 48-hour strike launched by more than 180 unionized transit supervisors after contract talks with the Coast Mountain Bus Company broke down over the weekend. 

Bus routes operated by Coast Mountain stopped running early Monday morning and all SeaBus sailings between Vancouver and North Vancouver were also cancelled. 

The shutdown of Coast Mountain routes represents 96 per cent of the region’s bus services and comes despite weekend negotiations with veteran mediator Vince Ready. 

The Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 4500 said its members would picket transit centres in Vancouver, Surrey, Richmond, Burnaby and Port Coquitlam, as well as at the SeaBus terminal in North Vancouver.

Unions representing other transit workers have said they would not cross picket lines, and CUPE 4500 said it may seek to picket additional sites such as SkyTrain facilities if the Labour Relations Board allows them.

In a written response, the board said no current hearing was scheduled in the dispute as of 11 a.m.

The SkyTrain, West Coast Express, HandyDART and a handful of bus routes remained operational on Monday. 

TransLink also said it expected bus and SeaBus services to resume Wednesday.

Luis Saltos, a student services co-ordinator at ILAC International College, said he took the SkyTrain to work Monday, but several students had reached out to him about whether the strike meant classes were cancelled.

“Some of them have to take buses to get to the SkyTrain and it’s going to add like an extra an hour to commute,” he said. 

Both Vancouver International Airport and BC Ferries warned passengers that transit to and from terminals could be delayed due to the strike action.

“We regret these disruptions and the challenges this will cause for the people we serve every day,” said CUPE 4500 spokesman Liam O’Neill in a statement. 

“But Coast Mountain could have avoided this. Instead, they put us and, through their inflexibility, transit users in this situation.”

Coast Mountain president Michael McDaniel said the union refused to adjust its demand for wage increases despite efforts to reach a compromise.

“CMBC offered increased overtime pay, improved benefits, and committed to hiring more supervisors,” McDaniel said in a statement. “Unfortunately, the union again refused the improved offer. This is unacceptable and unreasonable.”

McDaniel said last week that the union was seeking a 25 per cent wage increase.

The union said wage gaps between its members and other TransLink supervisors needed to be closed before a settlement could be reached.

“With the help of our mediator, CUPE 4500 put in an honest effort to find some common ground with Coast Mountain,” O’Neill said. “But we are still not near where we need to be in addressing our key issues.” 

— With files from Brieanna Charlebois

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 22, 2024. 

Chuck Chiang, The Canadian Press