SURREY, B.C. — The president of the union local for Metro Vancouver HandyDART workers says preparations are underway for strike action to begin next week, and he believes transit operator TransLink should be "stepping in" to avoid the job action.
Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724 president Joe McCann said Thursday that plans for picket lines and a workers' rally are in the works, as the union works out essential transit services for those needing medical treatments including dialysis patients, and those undergoing cancer and multiple sclerosis treatments.
McCann said essential travel makes up about 18 to 20 per cent of the service's trips, and a typical day sees upwards of 6,000 trips on the system, which offers specialized door-to-door bus service for passengers unable to use regular transit.
Workers are poised to join picket lines after the Labour Day long weekend.
"Hopefully it doesn't come to that," McCann said in an interview Thursday. "TransLink should really be stepping in here. TransLink should never let it get to this point."
He said the transit operator contracts out the service to Transdev Canada, a for-profit company, "but at the end of the day, Translink's responsible for providing this service as well and they should be held accountable."
TransLink said in a statement that the workers are employed by Transdev, and "TransLink is not at the negotiating table."
TransLink's deal with Transdev Canada is up in 2026, and the public transit operator said earlier this year that it was undertaking a "delivery model review" of the service in the lead-up to the contract's expiry.
"With the current service contract coming to an end in 2026, there is an opportunity to assess potential changes to how custom transit is delivered," TransLink planners told the board of directors back in May.
Transdev Canada said in a statement Thursday that it is "disappointed" the union rejected its "last offer," which was made after nine months at the bargaining table.
The company said the offer included a wage increase of more than 19 per cent by January 2026 and a $1,500 retention bonus next year.
Transdev said it also offered employees a benefit plan paid completely by the employer and compensation "parity" with transit employees in the central Fraser Valley.
The firm said it's now "finalizing strike preparations."
Emily Watson, a senior vice-president with the company, says the company is sorry for the "public impact" of the labour dispute.
McCann said the company's offer was insufficient, and the membership voted the offer down as a result.
"If it gave them what they wanted, they wouldn't have voted it down," McCann said. "At the end of the day, it's up to the members, and the members (have) spoken very clearly that (that) last offer was not good enough."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 29, 2024.
The Canadian Press
