Three local union chapters representing transit workers in Metro Vancouver and Victoria have issued 72-hour strike notices to the employers. A statement from Unifor says transit operators in Local 111 and skilled-trade workers in Local 2200 will start a uniform ban on Monday after issuing strike notice to Coast Mountain Bus Company, though there will be no change in service for riders. Unifor says subsequent mediated talks did not produce a settlement as issues around wages and working conditions remain unresolved, and union members have rejected two tentative agreements previous reached in collective bargaining this summer. A separate statement says BC Transit workers in Victoria represented by Local 333 will also take part in a ban on uniforms starting Monday. Those members voted 97 per cent in favour of strike action on May 28 after more than a year of bargaining, with the union saying wages and working conditions, including recovery times, have been sticking points in the talks. Unifor says the parties met this week, but no further bargaining dates have been set. “Our members have been at this table for more than a year, and they have been very patient,” Unifor national president Lana Payne says in the statement. “Serving notice is how the union shows we are serious about getting an agreement that our members can support.” This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 13, 2026.
