Striking transit workers in the Cowichan Valley held a rally at the Legislature in Victoria on Wednesday, demanding the BC government take steps to help end their nearly four month long walkout.
On February 8th, 44 transit operators, cleaners, and mechanics represented by Unifor Local 114, and eight handyDart operators with Unifor Local 333 went on strike in an effort to gain wage parity with other transit systems on Vancouver Island, such as Victoria and Nanaimo.
In April, members of the two locals overwhelmingly voted to reject a contract offer from Transdev, but there have been no talks since.
The outstanding issues involve wages, pensions and working conditions, and breaks and appropriate washroom facilities for operators.
Unifor Western Regional Director, Gavin McGarrigle, says the dispute could be resolved if the government and BC Transit took a more active role in finding solutions, such as mediation.
McGarrigle says the government has a mandate to provide good public services and build up critical infrastructure, including public transit.
In a meeting with Labour Minister Jennifer Whiteside, McGarrigle said Transdev was intransigent and stressed the need for a review of private service delivery to minimize the role of for-profit multinationals.
Unfor says a review of private transit delivery was a campaign promise made last October, but the government has largely remained silent.
The strike has shut down transit service in the Cowichan Valley, including express service from Duncan to Victoria and from Shawnigan Lake to Victoria, but does not affect the NCX 70 Nanaimo to Cowichan Express.
Service for handyDART users with appointments related to renal dialysis, cancer treatment and multiple sclerosis are deemed essential, but other trips were cancelled.
McGarrigle says the province has seen four transit disputes in two years, with more than 400 combined days of lost transit services in these communities.
He says BC Transit is a failed Crown Corporation that has “failed the communities it has been created to serve, and it has failed the workers who provide the service that our citizens so desperately need.”
