Kelowna transit workers say negotiations resuming ahead of planned strike
Unionized transit workers in Kelowna say they have been invited to resume negotiations with their employer on Tuesday, one day before a planned strike is scheduled to begin.
Members of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1722 have been refusing overtime for several weeks as part of ongoing job action aimed at compelling BC Transit contractor First Transit Canada to fix what the union calls Kelowna's "broken transit system."
According to the ATU, the overtime ban has led to a 20-to-30-per-cent reduction in transit service in the Central Okanagan region, something the union says is "a direct result of how understaffed and underfunded the transit system is."
Earlier in the week, the union announced its plan to escalate to a full work stoppage on Wednesday, Oct. 5.
On Friday, it issued a brief statement saying that the strike threat had prompted First Transit to ask for one day of negotiation on Tuesday, Oct. 4.
"Although the union is not anticipating any change from the company's last offer, we will be meeting with them in the hope that we can reach an agreement without having to proceed with a strike," the statement reads.
Asked for comment, a First Transit spokesperson provided a statement to CTV News that read, in part:
"We are disappointed that ATU leadership would choose to withdraw service from the residents of Kelowna, rather than return to constructive negotiations at the bargaining table. First Transit has, in fact, reached out to ATU regarding their counter-offer, and we have been, and remain ready, to sit down and engage in constructive collective bargaining."
The company also said that its "service delivery rate" has been 88 per cent during the job actions taken so far.
"Our objective is to reach a collective agreement with ATU Local 1722 that benefits all stakeholders in the transit system, and we hope to do that through the collective bargaining process," First Transit said.
First Transit operates the regional system on behalf of BC Transit, which issued its own statement on the strike this week.
The provincial transit provider said it "understands the frustration" the labour situation has caused for customers and "sincerely apologizes" for the inconvenience the job action continues to cause.
"The labour dispute is between BC Transit’s contractor – First Transit – and their unionized employees," the Crown corporation said. "BC Transit is closely monitoring the situation and hopes the parties will find resolution soon."
BC Transit added that – if the strike goes forward – handyDART service will continue to be available "for customers requiring transportation to renal dialysis, cancer treatment, multiple sclerosis and other specialist appointments," as it has been deemed an essential service.
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.