Fraser Valley commuters left in lurch as transit workers strike

People who rely on transit to get around parts of the Fraser Valley are scrambling to find alternatives as more than 200 B.C. Transit workers begin what could be a lengthy strike.

From Abbotsford to Hope, workers have traded their routes for picket lines and are prepared for what could be a long haul. At issue are wages, working conditions and pension.

Cupe 561 represents the striking bus drivers, and president Jane Gibbons says the drivers are paid a third less than their counterparts in Metro Vancouver when you take into account they don't have a pension.

"The employer has to be willing to sit at the table and discuss wages and pension. They can't keep skirting around it when we're at the table. It's time to get serious," Gibbons told CTV News.

B.C. Transit outsources bus service in the region to First Transit. The company says it has offered a 16 per cent wage increase over five years. It has also committed to bringing in more workers to alleviate pressure on drivers.

"What they're offering will have us at the same wages as everyone else at in 2019, those are the wages they're offering us, so that's still a six-year difference in wages," added Gibbons

The company isn`t speaking to media, but says it’s ready to get back to the bargaining table. So is the union – but it also says members are prepared for a long strike to get a better deal.

The province has offered mediation and Labour Minister Harry Bains says he is monitoring the situation.

"We must allow both parties to bargain collectively freely. And that's where I am at right now, and I have no intention of getting involved," said Bains.

HandyDart is running but only for essential services such as cancer treatment and dialysis. The full fledged strike comes after weeks of escalating job action.

Gibbons said while many riders will be inconvenienced, she believed many understood the union members' concerns. She said when learning a B.C. Transit driver in the Valley could end up driving to a station where other bus drivers earned a lot more, many were sympathetic.

As of Monday morning, Handy Dart was the only available service in the region and it is only being used for essential medical trips—including cancer treatment, dialysis and multiple sclerosis treatments.

In the meantime, Fraser Valley commuters who use buses to get to work, school and medical appointments must find other ways to get around.