Unionized workers at Metro Vancouver are escalating job action as their strike enters its second week.
The Greater Vancouver Regional District Employees’ Union said that watersheds, water filtration and water treatment plants will be picketed, starting on Monday morning.
In a statement, the union said that turbidity of drinking water, brown or cloudy water, could be possible, but Metro Vancouver said that there is no risk of that happening.
President of the union, Jesse Medeiros, said there are no negotiations scheduled with Metro Vancouver management and that until Metro Vancouver management get back to the bargaining table without preconditions and reach a new contract that addresses health and safety, contracting out and recruitment and retention issues important to the union, there will be escalating job action, up to and including a full strike.
“From the North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant costs skyrocketing from $700 million to $3.86 billion or management staffing for pay, compensation and staffing jumping by 69% in just five years or huge fines from WorkSafeBC for injuries caused by serious violations of multiple safety regulations, Metro Vancouver management is incompetent and elected Board directors need to get involved to end this dispute,” Medeiros added.
In a statement to Global News, Metro Vancouver said that it has been, and remains, ready to get back to the bargaining table at any time, with or without a mediator to support progress.
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“Metro Vancouver has one of the strongest workplace health and safety records in British Columbia, consistently ranking among the top three peer organizations as assessed by WorkSafeBC,” a spokesperson said in the statement.
“Metro Vancouver does not view safety as a bargaining trade-off. Safety obligations apply at all times.”
Current picketing locations are:
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• Capilano Watershed
• Seymour Watershed
• Coquitlam Watershed
• Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve
• Seymour Capilano Filtration Plant
• Coquitlam Water Treatment Plant
No talks are scheduled so far between the two sides.
The union says that outstanding issues continue to be improvements to health and safety, ending contracting out of bargaining unit work and improving recruitment and retention.
Metro Vancouver has offered increases of 3.5 and three per cent over three years, with a one-time adjustment of 25 cents an hour in 2027.
“Metro Vancouver is currently delivering a significant infrastructure portfolio to protect health and wellbeing in the region. The exempt salary budget has increased in order to bring engineering capacity in-house,” Metro Vancouver said in a statement.
“More than 60 per cent of exempt staff are professional engineers. Fewer than 20 per cent in management roles. Wage increases for individual exempt staff have been the same as union increases.”
More than 700 people are members of the Greater Vancouver Regional District Employees’ Union and they operate and maintain regional services, such as protecting water, air, and natural resources, providing drinking water, sewer, and infrastructure services and stewarding parks, ecological reserves, and housing communities.
Would-be politician takes responsibility for defacing Surrey Pride crosswalk
If they would call it a rainbow sidewalk, I am sure their would not be a problem
Curious why your tax increases? lol this is the reason, it’s always greedy union workers.