TransLink unsure what to expect as Metro Vancouver bus, SeaBus driver strike looms

TransLink says they’re as in the dark as everyone else about what to expect if Metro Vancouver bus drivers and SeaBus operators walk off the job Friday morning.

Unifor locals 111 and 2200 issued a 72-hour strike notice Monday, saying contract talks with Coast Mountain Bus Company (CMBC) had broken down.

Both sides returned to the negotiating table this week, but TransLink spokesperson Jill Drews says the union has not communicated what they intend to do if a deal isn’t reached by midnight Thursday.

1:50 Commuters prepare back-up plans for looming transit strike

“Unifor has not informed us what their plans are,” Drews said, adding TransLink isn’t a part of the negotiations and is a third party.

“We’re hoping to hear from them soon so we can communicate to our customers what it is they need to be doing to prepare.”

Drews says any strike action would not affect service for SkyTrain, Canada Line, West Coast Express, West Vancouver Blue Bus, HandyDART, and contracted shuttles on Bowen Island and in Langley, which will all operate as normal.

“It’s the SeaBus and the bus that we’re concerned about.”

The locals representing 5,000 bus and SeaBus operators have been without a contract since the end of March.

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They’re demanding better wages and benefits, but working conditions are the key sticking point in the dispute with CMBC.

The union has said it wants to avoid the “chaos” of the four-month bus strike of 2001 that left the transit system paralyzed, saying they’ve ruled out a complete shutdown.

2:01 Metro Vancouver bus drivers issue 72-hour strike notice

Instead, the union is exploring other options like rolling strikes, an overtime ban, a uniform ban or work to rule — but nothing has been definitively decided.

“We’re going to try and design it in such a way that it has the least impact on the public, and the maximum impact on the company,” Unifor western director Gavin McGarrigle said Tuesday.

Drews says transit users are encouraged to keep an eye on TransLink’s website and social media accounts starting Friday to find out if their bus route is impacted.

“What I can tell you is we will be doing our very best to communicate to customers what they need to know for their commute,” she said.

“We’ll do our best with what knowledge we have.”

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Meanwhile, the Coast Mountain Bus Company says it remains committed to negotiating a fair deal.

In a statement, the company said it is aware of the conditions staff and passengers are facing, and that it had prioritized investments in bus service over the last three years, including additional hires to cover expanded services.

1:46 Video shows abuse towards bus driver as strike looms

The union has argued the hires don’t address the issue of breaks and working conditions they’re fighting to change.

McGarrigle has pointed to an increase in hostility and assaults towards bus drivers, who are falling behind schedule without time to rest or eat in the face of a surging ridership.

On Wednesday, McGarrigle pointed to video of a rider kicking a bus door and appearing to spit on the driver as proof of their concerns.

“I think a graphic scene like that gives you an idea of the conditions that our members face everyday,” he said.

— With files from Robyn Crawford and Simon Little