Fraser Valley bus drivers to halt service Monday, Tuesday in contract dispute

Transit commuters in B.C.’s Fraser Valley could find themselves temporarily without service as early as Monday, amid stalled contract negotiations between unionized bus drivers and their employer.

CUPE 561, which represents 213 transit operators and support workers in the Fraser Valley, said Friday it will begin withdrawing all regular service on Monday and Tuesday.

HandyDART service will not be affected, the union said.

The two-day service outage comes amid ongoing contract issues. The union says if they can’t reach a deal by Feb. 28, “job action will escalate in the following weeks.”

Transit workers are locked in a protracted contract dispute with U.S.-based First Transit, which is contracted by BC Transit to deliver service in Chilliwack, Abbotsford and the surrounding region.

1:06 Fraser Valley transit drivers serve 72-hour strike notice

The union stopped collecting fares on Feb. 2, and warned at the time that it could escalate to service withdrawals by the end of the month if the dispute dragged on.

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“We had hoped to reach a fair collective agreement without any disruption in service, but First Transit had other ideas. The company cannot be surprised that we have arrived at this point,” CUPE 561 president Jane Gibbons said in a media release.

“We were clear when this job action began that we wanted to cause as little inconvenience as possible to the riding public. We wanted to give residents ample notice of what might lie ahead if First Transit did not come to the table with a different approach.”

In a statement, First Transit said it was working to mitigate potential service disruptions, and had agreements in place to ensure essential services are provided.

“First Transit remains committed to the collective bargaining process, and is focused on continuing constructive negotiations that lead to a sustainable collective agreement,” the company said.

“This includes presenting CUPE Local 561 with an offer that would see significant wage increases on par with trends across the province, as well as structural improvements to enhance reliability of service.”

CUPE 561 members have been without a contract since March 31, 2020, but bargaining was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic until late spring 2022, according to the union.

The union argues its members are paid up to 32 per cent less than their counterparts in Metro Vancouver and do not have a pension plan.

Workers are planning a rally for noon Monday outside Abbotsford City Hall.