Fraser Valley bus drivers give strike notice, could stop collecting fares Thursday
The union representing transit bus drivers in B.C.'s Fraser Valley has given a 72-hour strike notice and could stop collecting fares from Thursday.
CUPE 561 served the strike notice to First Transit, the contracted company that operates B.C. Transit services in Chilliwack, Abbotsford and the surrounding region.
The union says it will be in a legal strike position as of 3 p.m. on Thursday, at which point drivers will stop collecting fares.
A statement says two days of full service withdrawal, excluding HandyDART services, are slated for Feb. 27 and 28, with “further escalation anticipated in the weeks to follow if a deal cannot be reached.”
The union says members make 32 per cent less than transit workers across the Lower Mainland, with no pension plan and long hours of standby time for which they receive less than $3 per hour.
First Transit did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In a statement, B.C. Transit says it is not at liberty to discuss the conflict.
“B.C. Transit is closely monitoring the situation and hopes the parties will find resolution soon,” the statement says.
The union has 213 members including drivers, utility workers, bus washers and mechanics.
It says the two sides have engaged in more than 20 days of bargaining since talks began in late spring 2022.
“Our members are seeking a fair deal, one that pays them what other transit operators are currently being paid,” local union president Jane Gibbons said in a statement. “It doesn't make any sense that those in the Fraser Valley should be asked to do the same job for less than everyone else.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 30, 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Video shows suspect setting Toronto-area barbershop on fire
Video of a suspect lighting a Richmond Hill barbershop on fire earlier this week has been released by police.
The kids from 'Mrs. Doubtfire' are all SUPER grown up now, and we're not OK
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
Premier Legault reiterates that McGill pro-Palestinian camp must be dismantled
Quebec Premier François Legault reiterated that the pro-Palestinian encampment at McGill University must be dismantled while police remain 'on the lookout for new developments.'
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
'I have the will to live': N.B. woman needs double lung transplant
A New Brunswick woman suffering from sarcoidosis, a disease that limits your lung capacity, is in need of a double lung transplant.
Hulk Hogan, hurricanes and a blockbuster recording: A week in review of the Trump hush money trial
Crucial witnesses took the stand in the second week of testimony in Donald Trump's hush money trial, including a California lawyer who negotiated deals at the center of the case and a longtime adviser to the former president.