Bus service in the Campbell River and Comox Valley transit systems will cease on Friday, Dec. 15 due to job action by Unifor Local 114.
BC Transit is notifying its riders that Unifor Local 114 operating under PWTransit Canada has indicated increasing job action and will cease service in the Campbell River and Comox Valley Transit Systems at the start of the scheduled service on Friday, Dec. 15.
handyDART service has been deemed essential for customers with appointments related to medical need and will continue to operate during this service disruption. All other customers with pre-booked trips will be notified of cancellation.
BC Transit says it is closely monitoring the situation and apologized to customers for the inconvenience caused by this disruption.
“We understand the frustration felt by customers, and that the job action is difficult for everyone involved in these communities,” a statement issued by BC Transit says.
BC Transit is the Provincial Crown Agency responsible for the delivery of transit services outside of Greater Vancouver. It contracts the services of private operating companies to deliver these transit services. These companies hire and manage their own workforces.
The labour dispute is between BC Transit’s contractor – PWTransit Canada – and their unionized employees. BC Transit will update customers as more information becomes available.
In a press release released on Dec. 13, PWTransit Canada said they are disappointed with members of Unifor Local 114 have rejected a second tentative Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) arrived on Dec. 5. According to the release, it was unanimously recommended by the Union bargaining committee.
“The company understands that many residents will be negatively impacted by the disruption to transit services, especially leading into the holiday season. We can report, however, that PWT and the Union have settled on an essential services agreement, which will enable is to continue to provide handyDart service for customers with medical and other critical appointments,” says the release.
PWTransit also say the believe they have done everything they can to come to an agreement to avoid a strike situation.
“The tentative deal of Dec. 5 offered a small increase in compensation over and above the first tentative agreement and represents a higher guaranteed total percentage increases to wages than the BC Public Sector Union employees recently received over a similar three-year period,” says the release. “It amounted to a more than 18 per cent overall compensation increase in three years, with a total increase to wages of 15.5 per cent.”
As per the release, PWTransit is unable to offer a timeline for a return to regular bus service.
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