SkyTrain union has deal in hand
Tentative agreement reached early Tuesday to avoid three-day shutdown
A “marathon” bargaining session and last-minute tentative contract may have prevented a three-day SkyTrain shutdown this week, but Metro Vancouver’s transit system isn’t out of the woods yet when it comes to labour talks.
The deal between the 900 people who operate and maintain the Expo and Millennium lines and their employer, the B.C. Rapid Transit Company, was reached shortly before 5 a.m. on Tuesday, when workers had planned to go on strike and stop the trains that carry about 150,000 people each day.
“Both parties worked long and hard throughout the weekend, Monday, and into Tuesday morning to get this deal done,” CUPE 7000 president Tony Rebelo said in a statement.
Negotiations had been underway since before the last collective agreement expired Aug. 31 — including four days of mediation with Grant McArthur — and came to a head Friday when the workers issued a 72-hour strike notice.
Rebelo said the 11th-hour deal goes a long way to address many of the union’s concerns going into this latest round of bargaining. Wages, staffing levels for the operations department, forced overtime and sick leave were the major issues.
Michel Ladrak, president of the transit company, issued a statement saying that he was pleased both sides had reached a negotiated, tentative deal.
“This is great news for our customers who depend on our services … I thank all of our customers and staff for their patience through this uncertain time,” said Ladrak.
Neither side released details of the tentative agreement, which must still be ratified by members of CUPE 7000, including attendants, control operators, administration, maintenance and technical staff. A date for a ratification vote hasn’t been set.
The tentative SkyTrain contract came less than a week after bus drivers, mechanics and SeaBus staff at the Coast Mountain Bus Company ratified a deal that barely averted a full three-day bus and SeaBus
strike. Before that, there had been 27 days of escalating strike action, which included uniform and overtime bans.
The agreement was ratified Dec. 5 and included wage increases for drivers and other workers, as well as skilled trades, guaranteed minimum rest and recovery time of 45 minutes for bus drivers and stronger language designed to improve washroom break access and facilities.
Meanwhile, the union representing operational, scheduling and administrative workers at the Coast Mountain Bus Company completed its 11th day of bargaining — with four more dates scheduled — and office workers at TransLink, including clerks, assistants, administrators, co-ordinators, technicians and analysts, haven’t yet started bargaining. Both contracts expired March 31.
About 150 West Vancouver Blue Bus drivers, mechanics and service workers are set to begin bargaining with the District of West Vancouver next week. They have been working without a contract since March 31.
The contract for Canada Line workers, whose employer is Protrans B.C., expires Dec. 31, but bargaining hasn’t yet begun.
“The parties expect to commence bargaining for a renewal agreement early in the new year. We look forward to successfully bargaining a renewal agreement,” Protrans B.C. said in a statement.