Okanagan transit strike possible as early as Sunday

UPDATED with comments from the company at 7 p.m. Nov. 3:

First Canada, the company that operates transit in the Central Okanagan, said discussions with the Amalgamated Transit Union 1722 indicate the first possible strike day would be Wednesday, Nov. 9.

First Canada spokesperson Chris Kemper, calling from Cincinnati, Ohio, told Global News that while no additional talks are scheduled, their company remains available to return to the bargaining table.

Kemper said the proposal on the table is in line with the compensation other transit agencies in B.C. currently receive.

The bus drivers union told Global News they could walk off the job as early as Sunday, but their union is downplaying the possibility of a full scale strike.

The Amalgamated Transit Union 1722 which represents bus drivers and other transit workers in Kelowna, West Kelowna, Peachland, Lake Country and the Westbank First Nation issued 72-hour strike notice Thursday.

The union said a decision on what form job action could take or even whether workers will actually walkout has not yet been reached.

“The membership are meeting very quickly to address how they wish to use this strike action. The reality is that if we withdraw services we are hurting the people that we care about the most and that’s the public,” said local union president Scott Lovell.

“We are very reluctant to withdraw full services at this time.”

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Lovell said the union will be exploring other options such as work-to-rule as an alternative to a strike.

He said a key issue for the union is drivers being paid less when operating different kinds of buses.

“I’m an operator and I have a special license, a highly designated license to run the big buses, but here in Kelowna we also have community buses,” explained Lovell. “When I work those lesser routes or lesser equipment I get paid approximately $4.00 less an hour.”

Lovell said talks between the union and their employer have broken down and the two sides have made little progress after months of negotiations.

BC Transit is reassuring customers that handyDart will continue operating at “essential service levels” even if workers do go on strike.

However, it is recommending regular transit users make back-up plans in case job action does disrupt services.

BC Transit contracts a company called First Canada to provide transit service in the Central Okanagan.