Metro Vancouver bus union threatens to suspend all service unless deal is reached

The union representing around 180 transit supervisors in the Lower Mainland warned it would suspend all bus service unless it reaches an agreement with its employer in the coming days.

Speaking at a news conference in Burnaby Thursday, representative Liam O’Neill with CUPE 4500 said the union has been waiting over a month for its employer Coast Mountain Bus Company to respond to its proposal for a new collective agreement.

The union implemented an overtime ban on Jan. 6, which did not immediately affect transit service in the region.

“We have said if Coast Mountain did not return to the table we would have no choice but to escalate our strike action,” O’Neill said. “That time is unfortunately here.”

He said if a deal is not met by Monday, the union will withdraw all services for 48 hours starting at 3 a.m. that day.

“Passengers in the Lower Mainland can expect the suspension of all buses and the SeaBus for the two-day withdrawal,” O’Neill said—the CMBC being the primary company contracted by TransLink.

In a statement Thursday evening, CMBC president and general manager Michael McDaniel called the union's announcement "disappointing" and urged it to return to the bargaining table.

"It’s disappointing that the union representing approximately 180 transit supervisors is threatening to disrupt the lives of hundreds of thousands of people who depend on the bus and SeaBus each day over a wage dispute," McDaniel said.

O'Neill said the union’s key demands are addressing wage discrepancies with other TransLink employees and “chronic understaffing.”

The union hoped the overtime ban would be enough to bring the CMBC back to the table, O’Neill added, but said its proposal has gone ignored.

“Our patience for Coast Mountain to take bargaining and our issues seriously has been exhausted,” he said.

Last week, the CMBC told reporters that the union’s wage demands were “unrealistic” and “unreasonable.”

"Coast Mountain Bus Company is strongly urging the union to return to the bargaining table with reasonable and realistic expectations," spokesperson Mike Killeen said at a Jan. 9 news conference.

"To be clear, right now, the union is seeking a 25-per-cent wage increase over three years for its transit supervisors. And again, to be clear, that is almost double what all other unionized CMBC employees settled on just last year."

In a statement, the union said it didn’t propose a 25-per-cent wage increase across the board. “But some of our members are getting paid far less than other TransLink workers doing the same jobs,” it reads. 

CMBC reiterated its position in McDaniel's statement Thursday, adding a breakdown of what it says are the union's demands for each of the positions it represents.

The company says the union is seeking a 25-per-cent increase for transit supervisors, specifically, with increases between 20 per cent and 24.5 per cent for other members.

"The union is asserting that CMBC transit supervisors should be paid the same as SkyTrain field supervisors," CMBC's statement reads. "While both roles are important to ensuring the transit system moves smoothly, they are incomparable."

The company says SkyTrain field supervisors manage approximately 30 employees each and are responsible for hiring and firing. CMBC asserts that its transit supervisors do not directly manage employees and do not have hiring or firing responsibilities.

O’Neill said the wage increase CUPE 4500 is asking for accounts for less than 0.05 per cent of CMBC’s annual budget for wages and salaries.