West Vancouver’s Blue Bus drivers and mechanics will hold a strike vote on July 19 and the union says it will urge them to say a strong “Yes” after West Vancouver repeatedly refused to bargain a fair contract, says ATU Local 134 president Cornel Neagu.
Neagu said union members are angry with West Vancouver repeatedly refusing to negotiate a new contract that matches the wages and working conditions – especially breaks for operators – that all other Metro Vancouver bus drivers have.
“West Vancouver District is responsible for this strike vote and whatever happens after that, because they absolutely refuse to bargain with the union to deal with the problems our operators and mechanics are facing daily,” said Neagu. “West Vancouver District Council apparently thinks Blue Bus drivers don’t need or deserve washroom breaks or turnaround time at the end of their runs – but all other Metro Vancouver bus drivers employed by Coast Mountain Bus Company have those breaks,” Neagu said. “West Vancouver also seems to think that paying Blue Bus shuttle drivers $3.30 less an hour than all other Metro Vancouver shuttle bus drivers is no problem – but it is for retention of these skilled workers.”
Neagu said the strike vote of all ATU Local 134 members will take place on Tuesday July 19, with a full count and results coming on Wednesday July 20, when the union will hold a news conference to outline its course of action.
“We have been trying to get real bargaining going with West Vancouver District since last November, we had to file an unfair labour practice with the Labour Relations Board to even get them to the table and now they just stall and stall until the mediator appointed booked out,” Neagu said. “We don’t want a strike again like in 2016 but our members are extremely frustrated and our contract expired on March 31. So everything is on the table.”
The Staff make Blue Bus
Pay them What they are Worth.
Why haven’t we seen this item on the DWV Council meetings’ Agenda?
Because They don’t want to discuss it. It might go away
But it’s not.
Blue Bus strike vote is about basic human dignity. It is about fairness and having the same working conditions as drivers in the rest of Metro Vancouver.
Human dignity? The union allowed termination of drivers/mechanics simply because they chose to not be vaccinated under threat of termination by the District. Where was the union then when federal rights of members was being abused by the District?
“To have their personal and health information protected from disclosure”
“To be treated with dignity and respect”
The union sat by and did nothing and allowed the abuse to it;s members.
They only want to strike because the union has been itching to trade-off (cancel) the LTD benefit in this negotiation. With the District using it’s usual delay/deny/dismiss negotiation tactics the union is now upset the District is not swapping dirty deals to scratch each others back.
Given a few more years this union will have it’s members 10 years behind in wages and fast-food employees and West Vancouver Transit Operators will be making the same wages.