Metro Van transit strike: CUPE warns of possible escalation

The union representing transit supervisors is warning if a deal isn’t reached with its employer by Feb. 3, its members will escalate job action.

CUPE 4500 says it welcomes the province’s appointment of a special mediator. However, it says if Vince Ready’s recommendations don’t lead to a tentative deal by 12:01 a.m. on that date, “members will be withdrawing services for 72-hours.”

If the Labour Board permits, CUPE 4500 says its strike escalation will “effectively shut down all buses, the SeaBus, and all SkyTrain lines for three days.”

“We are prepared to continue our work with Mr. Ready. If anyone can help us reach a deal, it’s him,” CUPE 4500 spokesperson Liam O’Neill said in a statement Wednesday. “But for this process to be successful, Coast Mountain and TransLink are going to need to show some willingness to find common ground. Their past conduct in mediation leaves us skeptical.”

This warning of a potential escalation comes after over 180 unionized transit supervisors represented by CUPE 4500 walked off the job on Monday at 3 a.m., following a weekend of negotiations with Coast Mountain Bus Company. The strike parked buses and docked SeaBuses across Metro Vancouver for two days.

That escalation came after unionized members began an overtime ban on Jan. 6. CUPE 4500 says its members will continue this ban and “will not be escalating to any other actions until the recommendations are received on February 2, 2024.”

On Wednesday, B.C. Labour Minister Harry Bains announced Ready would serve as special mediator in the labour dispute. This appointment allows Ready to make recommendations that would be made public.

He had already been acting as a mediator between CUPE 4500 and Coast Mountain Bus Company, before talks broke down.

Bains says, starting Thursday, Ready will work with both sides “for a period of up to six days to secure a resolution.” If a deal isn’t reached in that time, the minister says Ready will issue non-binding recommendations on Feb. 2, after which the union and employer will have five days to either accept or reject those proposals.

Previously, Bains had made it clear he would only move to this step if both the employer and union agreed.

Shortly after the announcement, Coast Mountain Bus Company President and GM Michael McDaniel said CMBC “welcomes the appointment.”

Labour Board hears request to picket SkyTrain stations

Meanwhile, the BC Labour Board has hearings scheduled for Jan. 24, Jan. 25, and Jan. 29.

The board is set to decide whether CUPE 4500 members will be allowed to expand their picketing sites to include other TransLink locations, including SkyTrain stations, as part of further job action.

The union says if the Labour Board allows it, members will picket at SkyTrain and Coast Mountain operations. CUPE 7000 — the rapid transit workers union — has previously said it will not cross the picket line. As such, this would effectively shut down SkyTrain operations.

“We are running out of options with Coast Mountain and TransLink. CUPE 4500 members have been more than patient, and the union has done all it can to get the fair deal our members deserve,” O’Neill said.

-With files from Cole Schisler