After more than seven months, Cowichan Valley’s long transit strike is finally over.
A release from the Unifor union, which represents more than 50 transit workers in the region that have been on the picket lines since Feb. 8, said the strike is over as of Sept. 18.
Veteran labour mediator Vince Ready was appointed on Sept. 5 by the province to act as a special mediator in the labour dispute, the longest transit strike in the history of B.C., and a deal was struck that will see the strikers recalled back to work immediately.
On Sept. 16, Unifor members from Local 114, which represents Transdev transit operators, cleaners and mechanics in Cowichan and Local 333, which represents HandyDART accessible transit operators, voted 92 per cent to follow the recommendations from Ready.
A statement from Unifor said it is beginning the return-to-work process with Transdev Canada, the employer, after the two sides agreed to abide by the provincial mediator’s upcoming recommendations, ending the strike.
The release of the recommendations by Ready is expected in the coming weeks.
“We thank our members for standing up for what they believed in and fighting for fairness for transit drivers across the system,” said Unifor national president Lana Payne.
However, Unifor said it will take some time to get the buses, which have been sitting idle for months, back to being road-ready and ensure they are mechanically sound.
BC Transit will determine when bus service resumes.
Emily Watson, senior vice-president for Western Canada at Transdev said the end of the dispute represents the resolution to a very difficult chapter for everyone.
“As always, we have remained open to all paths of resolution and are thankful to the provincial appointed mediator for finding a way to restore these important services to the Cowichan Valley community," she said.
"Over the next three weeks, efforts will be focused on vehicle maintenance, inspections and operation retraining. Following these critical safety preparations, we anticipate a phased approach to full transit service levels. Transdev is working with BC Transit and the Cowichan Valley Regional District on service restoration dates."
B.C.'s Minister of Labour Jennifer Whiteside said she's pleased that Unifor and Transdev have come together and agreed to submit proposals to Ready, who will issue binding recommendations on all remaining matters.
“I would like to thank Mr. Ready for his ongoing work on this complex dispute, and the parties for their immediate work together on a return-to-work plan," she said.
"I understand there is time that is required to ensure the buses are road-ready, as part of the process of resuming full services to the residents of the Cowichan Valley as soon as possible. This is welcome news for residents who rely on transit services in the Cowichan Valley. The service disruption has been deeply disruptive to people living in the region, and this has been a very difficult period for many. In the coming days, BC Transit will provide more information on its plan to resume service for the community.”
A statement from BC Transit said that before transit service resumes, all buses must undergo a thorough inspection, necessary maintenance work, cleaning and on-road testing for return to service.
BC Transit said it’s also important for Transit operators to refresh their training to ensure a safe resumption of service.
"This is the standard procedure when resuming operations after an extended period of time away from day-to-day service," the statement said.
"Our organization understands the serious impact this job action has had on residents and local businesses in the Cowichan Valley, and we have heard customers’ frustrations. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and are pleased the parties were able to reach this agreement."
The transit workers went on strike due to issues like wage parity with other B.C. transit employees and working conditions like access to washrooms.
“The cycle of these transit strikes has to stop,” said Unifor Western Regional Director Gavin McGarrigle. “We have to continue to work with the B.C. government and BC Transit to address issues that lead to these disputes.”
