Fraser Valley – On Monday January 30, Transit operators in the Fraser Valley, represented by CUPE 561, served 72-hour strike notice to First Transit, the for-profit company that operates BC Transit services in Chilliwack, Abbotsford,and the surrounding region.
The deadline came and went on 3PM Thursday February 2.
CUPE Local 561 did proceed with its plan to suspend fare collection as no deal has been reached.
Worse case scenario is they plan to withhold work for two days at the end of February, excluding HandyDART.
From CUPE Media release dated January 30:
“People see BC Transit on the side of our busses and think our members are getting the same wages as other BC Transit workers—we are not,” said CUPE 561 President Jane Gibbons. “Our members make significantly less than transit workers across the Lower Mainland, with no pension plan and long hours of standby time for which they receive less than $3 per hour.”
The transit operator, First Transit, is a private American-based company and holds the contract for transit services in the region. They operate both conventional and HandyDART transit in the Fraser Valley and were the subject of a recent transit labour dispute in Kelowna in September of last year.
The parties have engaged in more than 20 days of bargaining since talks began in late Spring of 2022.
Among the major outstanding issues is wage and compensation fairness as Fraser Valley transit workers make 32% less than transit workers across the Lower Mainland.
More to come.
