The manager of Metro Vancouver’s transit system has filed an application with the B.C. Labour Relations Board to be designated an essential service, with a strike deadline approaching. TransLink has acknowledged that its bus and rail operators, including Coast Mountain Bus Company, have also sought the same designation. Coast Mountain’s transit supervisors have threatened a second strike if a new contract with the company isn’t finalized by 12:01 a.m. on Feb. 3. Last month, a two-day strike by over 180 supervisors belonging to CUPE 4500 disrupted Coast Mountain services, as drivers from a different union refused to cross picket lines.
Negotiations between the bus operator and CUPE 4500, overseen by veteran mediator Vince Ready, are underway. However, both sides have also been engaged in hearings with the labour relations board. According to a decision issued on Jan. 31, Coast Mountain violated labour rules by using replacement workers during the first strike. Nevertheless, the board deemed the breach minimal and opted not to impose penalties or further investigations.
CUPE 4500 has filed a separate complaint against Coast Mountain and TransLink, arguing that they improperly attempted to minimize the impact of the strike. The union has warned that if a tentative deal with the bus company isn’t reached by Feb. 3, a new 72-hour strike will be initiated. Additionally, if the ongoing labour complaint is successful, pickets will disrupt SkyTrain operations. A union representing SkyTrain workers has pledged not to cross picket lines.
Coast Mountain is responsible for 96 percent of all Metro Vancouver Bus services, as well as the SeaBus service across Burrard Inlet. In its Jan. 31 ruling, the board recognized the bus firm’s violation of replacement worker rules as “understandable in the circumstances.” This acknowledgment was attributed to the size and complexity of the bus firm’s operations, as well as the unprecedented nature of the strike action initiated by the union.