West Vancouver transit union votes to authorize strike

The union representing transit workers in Metro Vancouver is preparing for a strike vote after talks with their employer broke down.

Labour strife could lead to transit disruptions in Metro Vancouver for the second time this year after the union representing 150 West Vancouver bus drivers and mechanics voted overwhelmingly in favour of a strike this week.

Amalgamated Transit Union Local 134 members voted to authorize a strike Tuesday, with 96 per cent in favour, according to the union.

The vote gives union leadership the authority to commence job action with 72 hours’ notice at any time in the next 90 days, but the union said in a statement Wednesday that it plans to return to talks with the District of West Vancouver – which operates its employer, Blue Bus – next week.

Negotiations are scheduled to resume on May 6 and last for up to three days, according to the union.

ATU Local 134 president Cornel Neagu said in the statement that West Vancouver has refused to match the working conditions and benefits agreed to by other Metro Vancouver transit workers employed by Coast Mountain Bus Company.

“Our union members voted for possible job action because all they are asking for is what all other transit operators and mechanics already have in the rest of Metro Vancouver,” Neagu said. “West Vancouver is the richest community in the region and paying our members the poorest benefits and working conditions is not acceptable.”

While the rest of TransLink’s buses are operated by CMBC, West Vancouver’s Blue Bus is a separate company with separate employees. The Blue Bus system includes 64 buses and transports about 18,000 passengers daily, according to the ATU.

In its own statement, the District of West Vancouver said it is “disappointed” that the union moved forward with a strike vote when further bargaining dates have been scheduled.

“The parties have been negotiating since January and had reached common ground on many issues,” the district said. “We would hope that ATU would hold off on any job action that would inconvenience the public with an impact to service.”

Multiple LRB filings

The union criticized the district for filing several applications with the B.C. Labour Relations Board regarding the ongoing bargaining, including one it called a “desperate, last-minute attempt” to keep the ATU from releasing the results of the strike vote.

According to the union, other LRB applications from the district have sought to declare Blue Bus an “essential service” – which would limit the union’s ability to fully withdraw its labour in a strike – and to argue that the union is not bargaining in good faith.

The ATU said it would “vigorously disprove” the latter claim.

“We will do our best to reach a new collective agreement despite these provocations and unhelpful actions by the employer, but we hope West Vancouver District bus riders, residents and taxpayers complain about how their municipal government is behaving badly in labour relations,” Neagu said.

For its part, the district said it has asked the LRB to invalidate the union’s strike vote, claiming the union “misrepresented the employer’s position on key bargaining issues” in communications with its members.

It was unclear from the parties’ statements on the matter whether this claim from the district was the same as the alleged “desperate” attempt the union referenced, or a separate LRB application.

The ATU last went on strike in 2016, fully withdrawing its members’ labour for about 10 hours before a deal was reached.

If next week’s negotiations are unsuccessful and the union moves forward with a strike, it will be the second disruption to TransLink bus services this year.

In January, unionized supervisors employed by CMBC held a 48-hour strike that shut down bus and SeaBus service. A second, 72-hour strike was planned, but averted through mediation.