All bus and SeaBus service has been suspended in Metro Vancouver. Here are the latest updates on transit-related issues around town.
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All bus and SeaBus service was suspended in Metro Vancouver early Monday morning as transit supervisors began a two-day, full-scale strike.
CUPE 4500 leadership had announced last week the union’s plan to escalate its existing job action, saying TransLink’s Coast Mountain Bus Company hadn’t responded to the union’s latest offer.
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Mediated talks on the weekend have failed to produce a deal.
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The strike affects buses and SeaBus, but could expand to SkyTrain and other transit services.
Check back here for more updates throughout the day.
RELATED: Full-scale strike threatens Metro Vancouver bus, SeaBus service on Monday
Monday, Jan. 22 updates
CUPE 4500 to share update on bus strike Monday afternoon
CUPE 4500 leaders will share an update on Monday afternoon about the ongoing strike that has shut down bus and SeaBus service across Metro Vancouver.
A news conference has been scheduled for 2p.m. Monday at CUPE’s Burnaby office. No further details were shared.
YVR and B.C. Ferries warn travellers of potential delays getting to terminals
Vancouver International Airport and B.C. Ferries are warning travellers to plan ahead for their journey to and from terminals due to the bus strike.
YVR said travellers should allow for more time to get to the airport and to have a parking plan in place before they leave home due to an anticipated increase in people driving to the airport.
YVR is served by the Canada Line, which is currently operating. But the airport authority warned travellers that SkyTrain service may also be impacted if the labour action spreads.
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B.C. Ferries said the strike affects bus service to and from Tsawwassen and Horseshoe Bay ferry terminals.
West Vancouver’s Blue Bus route 250 to and from Horseshoe Bay remains in service on Monday.
Ride-hailing prices surge as transit riders seek alternatives
Thousands of Metro Vancouver residents who rely on buses to get around are left scrambling to get to work or school on Monday.
On Facebook, posts from people seeking rides have sprouted overnight. Some people with extra room in their vehicles have also offered rides to people.
Stranded commuters may have to resort to cabs or ride-sharing options, which could make for a pricier morning commute.
Cabs follow regulated metered fares and would not raise prices, although they may be scarce due to high demand, while prices of ride-hailing services shot up on Monday.
At around 8 a.m., for example, an Uber from Main and 16th Avenue to Commercial-Broadway SkyTrain Station — typically accessible by bus for $3.15 with one connection — was showing as just under $30.
An Uber from the same intersection to the University of B.C.’s Point Grey campus, which is not served by SkyTrain, was listed at $50 for a shared ride and $56 to have the vehicle for yourself. That’s a significant jump from the $15 to $20 typical fare.
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Anyone trying to book a ride on the Uber app Monday could see a message saying: “Fares are a lot higher due to increased demand.”
SkyTrain service running on Monday, but could shut down if job action escalates
SkyTrain service appears to be running normally on Monday morning, but this could change if the transit strike escalates.
CUPE 4500, the union representing 180 transit supervisors, has filed an application with the B.C. Labour Relations Board seeking to picket SkyTrain stations and operations and maintenance centres.
If picket lines go up at SkyTrain stations, SkyTrain workers would not cross picket lines, said CUPE 7000 union president Tony Rebelo.
Rebelo told Postmedia a shutdown of SkyTrain on Monday is a “reality.” “We’re just preparing our members for the worst.”
Such a move would only happen if the Labour Relation Board gives CUPE 4500 permission to strike at SkyTrain stations, said CUPE 7000 in a notice Sunday to members.
The union is asking its members to be prepared to report for work on Monday.
“This might change later in the day on Monday, but at this time we don’t know when that might happen,” it said.
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What are both sides saying?
CUPE 4500 and Coast Mountain Bus Company have failed to reach a deal following a weekend of mediated talks.
Coast Mountain said it had offered increased overtime pay, improved benefits and committed to hiring more supervisors.
“Unfortunately, the union again refused the improved offer. This is unacceptable and unreasonable,” said Coast Mountain president Michael McDaniel in a statement early Monday.
The company said the union has refused to budge on its demand for wage increases that have been accepted by other Coast Mountain Bus Company unions and other public-sector unions.
The union wanted a 25 per cent wage increase over three years for transit supervisors; Coast Mountain had offered 13.5 per cent.
The union said it’s a matter of equity and that bus transit supervisors are paid less than other TransLink supervisors.
“With the help of our mediator, CUPE 4500 put in an honest effort to find some common ground with Coast Mountain,” said CUPE 4500 spokesman Liam O’Neill in a statement.
“But we are still not near where we need to be in addressing our key issues.
“For a fair settlement, CUPE 4500 members need wage discrepancies closed between them and other TransLink supervisors, and we need to tackle critical workload issues.”
Buses, SeaBus shuttered as Metro Vancouver transit strike underway Monday
Metro Vancouver residents who take the bus or SeaBus have to find alternative ways to get around on Monday as TransLink bus and SeaBus service have been cancelled after the union representing transit supervisors and Coast Mountain Bus Company failed to reach a last-minute deal.
Late Sunday night, TransLink announced cancellations of all bus and SeaBus routes beginning at 1 a.m. Monday.
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CUPE 4500 has said members will be withdrawing services from Coast Mountain for 48 hours.
Pickets are planned at transit centres in Vancouver, Surrey, Richmond, Burnaby and Port Coquitlam, as well as at the SeaBus terminal in North Vancouver.
SkyTrain, West Coast Express and HandyDART service are not expected to be impacted. “At this time, CUPE Local 4500 can only legally picket bus and SeaBus,” said TransLink spokeswoman Tina Lovgreen.
But this could change as the union has filed an application with the B.C. Labour Relations Board on Sunday to expand job action, Postmedia has learned.
The application seeks to picket SkyTrain stations and operations and maintenance centres, among others.
Redirecting riders to other public transit services reduces disruption for riders, the application notes. “Less disruption for public transit riders means less public pressure on the Employer to settle the contract.”
Other TransLink services that are not affected by strike are the West Vancouver Blue Bus, Bowen Island community shuttles and Langley community shuttles.
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What are the sticking points in the negotiations?
CUPE 4500 and Coast Mountain Bus Company started negotiations in October, with their contract set to expire Dec. 31, 2022.
Talks last year led to an impasse and in December, members voted unanimously in favour of strike action.
Coast Mountain transit supervisors are paid significantly less than other TransLink supervisors for doing the same job, said the union.
But Coast Mountain said the roles are not comparable because transit supervisors on buses do not have the same job description as supervisors on SkyTrain, who manage a staff of up to 30 people and are responsible for hiring and other decisions.
Prior to mediated talks this weekend, Coast Mountain had said it has offered CUPE 4500 the same wage offer agreed to by other Coast Mountain unions — a 13.5 per cent wage hike that would bring their annual salary to $104,886 after three years.
It said the union’s ask of 25 per cent for transit supervisors, which would bring their annual salary to $115,477, was “unreasonable.”
The union had said the additional cost to the company for its wage proposal is less than 0.05 per cent of the company’s 2024 budget for wages, salaries and benefits. “It’s essentially a rounding error and yet they still refuse to deal with the wage inequity that exists,” union spokesman Liam O’Neill said.
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Bus transit supervisors make up about a third of the union’s 180 supervisors.
Send us photos and details of the transit-related mayhem you’re seeing across the region to vantips@postmedia.com.
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2024-01-22 18:21:13Z
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