An end appears in sight for the bitter four-month strike that has shut down transit service in British Columbia’s Fraser Valley.
The company that employs about 200 bus drivers and mechanics said Wednesday it is prepared to accept a settlement to the dispute proposed by veteran mediator Vince Ready.
Earlier this week, CUPE Local 561 said it was also prepared to accept the deal.
“We are eager for the strike to end and for service to be promptly restored for our customers in the Fraser Valley,” said First Transit, the U.S.-based company that operates service in the region on contract from BC Transit, in a statement.
“On this basis, the company is prepared to accept the recommendations of the Special Mediator’s report, so long as they are ratified by CUPE Local 561 members.”
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Transit workers serving Abbotsford, Mission, Agassiz-Harrison, Chilliwack and Hope walked off the job on March 20. Essential HandyDART service in the region has not been affected.
Transit workers in the region have been without a contract since April 2020. The union has said its members do not have pensions and make 32 per cent less than drivers and mechanics elsewhere in Metro Vancouver.
With the employer also accepting the terms of the deal, the two sides will need to sign a memorandum of settlement, after which the proposal will be put to union members for a ratification vote.
A union spokesperson said they couldn’t comment on the situation but were working to schedule a ratification vote in the near future.
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