Vancouver transit strike: 8 more SeaBus sailings cancelled Monday afternoon

Transit job action ramping up again Job action by unionized transit workers is ramping up, meaning bus drivers aren't working overtime Monday or two other days this week.

VANCOUVER – Eight more SeaBus cancellations are planned for Monday afternoon as service uncertainty grows in Metro Vancouver.

At first there were only four sailings cancelled for Monday, but shortly after 1:30 p.m., TransLink added an additional eight to that list.

TransLink is warning that bus delays are also to be expected as drivers are refusing overtime shifts Monday, Wednesday and Friday this week. Maintenance workers are also still refusing overtime, putting pressure on the availability of buses throughout the transit system.

While TransLink said it's hard to predict which bus routes will be impacted, several SeaBus sailings were cut. The following sailings were cancelled:

Unifor and Coast Mountain Bus Company had resumed bargaining last Wednesday, for the first time since talks broke down in late October, which prompted the beginning of the job action on Nov. 1.

But last Thursday, talks broke down again and Unifor announced job action would escalate.

About five to 10 per cent of service was impacted on Friday and TransLink spokesperson Ben Murphy said Monday will likely be similar. Vancouver was hardest hit, but Port Coquitlam saw a significant effect as well.

"Shufflings are being made all the time, so resources are being reallocated," he said.

Murphy added there is "no magic pot of money" for the union's requests, which include seeing wages, overtime, breaks and staffing levels all addressed.

"I think the question the union needs to answer now is where do they want this to come from? You can increase fares, increase taxes or cut service," he said. "The more this drags on, the more commuters are going to be impacted and that is just unacceptable."

Gavin McGarrigle with Unifor said the workers and their union are "being blamed for everything."

"It's classic fearmongering. They're saying that the sky will fall if they treat their workers fairly," he told CTV Morning Live.

"I think it's actually the TransLink and Coast Mountain Bus Company executives that should be worried because from everything we're seeing, people know exactly where the blame for this dispute lies and it lies at the feet of the overpaid, unaccountable executives."

While the union's brought up a long list of issues, the main sticking point between Unifor and CMBC has been compensation.

The union has previously pointed to a $3-per-hour gap in wages between Toronto transit operators and Metro Vancouver operators, but McGarrigle said they're not asking to close that gap overnight.

"We're not expecting to even get there in this contract. Our last proposal had us getting about two-thirds of the way there over three years," he said.

"So we're prepared to talk about that and figure out how we close that gap, but at the end of the day we've seen no recognition from the company that that's a valid comparison."

Uncertainty has also grown about the region's SkyTrain system, as CUPE 7000, which represents 900 SkyTrain attendants, operators and other workers, took a step back from negotiations earlier this month.

No talks between Unifor and CMBC are planned at this time.