Metro Vancouver transit operators ratify contract, averting strike

The Coast Mountain Bus company has reached an agreement with the union representing its operators and maintenance staff, preventing a potential strike.

Members of Unifor locals 111 and 2200 voted 82 per cent in favour a three-year contract with Coast Mountain, the company that operates buses and the SeaBus for TransLink in Metro Vancouver.

Unifor Local 111 president Steve Sutherland said in a release that the contract contains "no concessions."

Union members had previously voted 98 per cent in favour of strike action in April, with the unions citing wages, benefits and working conditions as their chief concerns. The new contract contains improvements in all of these areas, as well as allowances for skilled trades, SeaBus operators and safety equipment, according to Unifor's release.

Union to focus on increased funding

With the contract ratified, Unifor's B.C. area director Gavin McGarrigle said in the release that Locals 111 and 2200 will now focus on securing more money for transit from the provincial government.

He said the province's bugdetary surplus means it has no excuse to not increase funding for public transit.

"The bus system is the backbone of transit," McGarrigle's statement read. "With adequate funding, we could make an enormous improvement in transit service now while we wait for longer term SkyTrain expansion and new LRT projects to be built."