Cowichan Valley transit strike nears 3 months, leaving riders stranded

It’s been 80 days since transit operators in B.C.’s Cowichan Valley walked off the job. There’s no indication they’ll be back behind the wheel anytime soon.

As negotiations unfold, a Honeymoon Bay resident has resorted to hitching rides from strangers.

“Jumping into people’s cars as a First Nations woman, it just feels like it puts me in a vulnerable situation,” April Murphy told CTV News.

Several times a week, she stands at a bus stop with a sign that requests a ride. Relying on the kindness of others is her only option, as neither she nor her partner drive, and there’s no taxi service in Honeymoon Bay.

“We have no means other than to go through Facebook, hold a sign, and kind of just send a cosmic message like, ‘Help, we need a ride,” Murphy said.

The community has few essential services, so Murphy normally buses roughly 40 kilometres to Duncan, where she goes to appointments and gets groceries for her family of eight.

“It’s put everybody here that doesn’t have a license or is a vulnerable demographic in a very standstill situation,” she said.

‘WE DON’T GET ALL THE PERKS OF VICTORIA’

The strike began on Feb. 8, when roughly 45 public transit operators walked off the job.

Their primary concern is that they make $31.24 an hour, while their counterparts in Victoria make $37.96, according to Unifor, which represents the workers.

“Our gaps between here and Victoria are getting bigger, yet we have such a small gap in the cost of living between Victoria and here,” said transit operator Leah Jarvis.

Workers say limited access to washrooms and breaks are other points of contention.

“We don’t get all the perks of Victoria. We’re just sick and tired of being left in the wind,” Jarvis said.

BC Transit contracts Transdev for services in the Cowichan Valley. It is a French company with a Canadian arm.

“We believe that if BC Transit didn’t do third-party contracts, that this wouldn’t be an issue,” Jarvis said. “[With] third-party contracts, the money goes overseas. They’re more worried about their profit margins, not us paying our mortgages.”

In a statement, Transdev said it had reached a tentative agreement with union representatives, but workers voted it down last week.

“Our priority continues to be finding a resolution that supports our employees while maintaining the long-term sustainability of transit services in the region,” a spokesperson wrote.

‘They’re not going anywhere’

BC Transit contracts 18 companies to deliver services in various communities. The companies employ roughly 1,800 people, BC Transit said.

“Working in partnership with local governments and private companies, BC Transit staff provides direct services in fleet acquisition and management, contract administration, transit planning, marketing and financial services,” a BC Transit spokesperson said in an email to CTV News.

“This contracting strategy continues to be the most appropriate model for our regional transit systems.”

B.C. has seen a handful of transit strikes in recent history, including in Whistler, where labour action lasted 136 days.

“The transit workers will last absolutely as long as it takes. They are unanimous. They have community support. They’re not going anywhere,” said Unifor Western regional director Gavin McGarrigle.

“The strike will not end unless the workers’ concerns are addressed. And what that’s going to take is Transdev actually coming to the table with some serious money that’s actually going to close that gap, reducing their profit margin.”

Despite losing access to her primary mode of transportation, Murphy said she supports the workers.

“I miss the commuters, I miss the bus drivers, I miss just the everyday hellos,” she said.