A union leader is urging people to show their support for striking transit workers in Squamish, Whistler and Pemberton.
“In #Whistler and #Squamish, the community is coming out to support striking transit workers as they stand up to @BCTransit for better wages, job security, and a pension鈥�,” tweeted Gavin McGarrigle, western regional director of Unifor on Feb. 1. “You can help.”
The message, which came three days into the strike, contained a link to a Unifor-led letter-writing campaign intended to address BC Transit and local MLA Jordan Sturdy.
In the preamble to the campaign, Unifor posted some of the reasons why the job action was occurring.
“We’re finding it difficult to make ends meet with the region’s high cost of living and the red-hot housing/rental market,” reads the post. “We’re asking the employer to increase wages and introduce a pension plan to close the gap with transit workers in Metro Vancouver. To make matters worse, 38% of our workforce isn’t eligible for health benefits. We are fighting to fix that and increase the amount of job security for the bus drivers laid off seasonally.”
Unifor Local 114 represents more than 80 transit workers across the Squamish, Whistler and Pemberton.
According to the union, transit operators in all three municipalities have been negotiating a new contract for more than a year.
By the workers’ account there still hasn’t been a ”fair offer” from management, prompting a strike on Jan. 29.
BC Transit operates the 撸奶社区contract with Diversified Transit and the Whistler and Pemberton service contract with Whistler Transit LTD.
The 撸奶社区 sought comment from the Pacific Western Group of Companies, the parent organization for both Diversified and Whistler Transit.
A representative referred questions to BC Transit.
In turn, BC Transit supplied The Chief with the following statement:
“As this is a labour dispute between BC Transit’s contractors — Whistler Transit Ltd. and Diversified Transit — and their unionized employees, BC Transit is not at liberty to further discuss the issue. BC Transit understands the frustration felt by customers, and that the job action is difficult for everyone involved in the region. We are closely monitoring the situation and hope the parties will find a resolution soon. BC Transit encourages customers to sign up to receive alerts for their specific transit system at bctransit.com/whistler, and bctransit.com/pemberton-valley. Customers may also follow on Twitter for updates.”
Previously, when Unifor announced its strike in a news release, the union said the breadth of the job action was unclear.
“We are prepared to negotiate but we cannot say the same for BC Transit’s contractors in Whistler, Squamish, and Pemberton,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor’s national president, in the release. “Without a fair offer to vote on, our members will take strike action.”
Local 114 represents more than 80 transit workers in the corridor who voted to strike in August 2021.
In that case, negotiations failed to produce a satisfactory offer from the employer, says Unifor. Wages, a lack of benefits coverage for nearly 40% of the unit, pension, and job security remain sticking points for the union.
“Transit workers in the Sea to Sky Corridor can barely afford to live in the communities they serve with pride,” said Gavin McGarrigle, Unifor western regional director, in the release. “This strike is about job security and ensuring that compensation keeps up with the cost of living.”
McGarrigle said 撸奶社区and Whistler transit workers make anywhere between $3 and $5 an hour less than their counterparts in Vancouver and Victoria.
“They somehow think that magically the cost of living has changed so much from Vancouver to Whistler and Squamish, when, if anything, it’s the other way around,” he previously told Pique 撸奶社区magazine.
BC Transit said in a press release on Jan. 31 that the handyDART service in Squamish, which is deemed an essential service — for medical appointments, food, prescriptions and education — will operate with full-service hours on weekdays.
In the meantime, Squamish’s top elected official said the municipality is keeping in close contact with BC Transit with respect to the labour dispute.
“We share in the frustration of our community’s transit riders as we know this will be inconvenient and potentially very difficult for individuals. We hope that the parties will continue their dialogue to find a resolution quickly. Please note that handyDART service is deemed an essential service and is therefore continuing on weekdays,” said Mayor Karen Elliott in a written statement to The Chief.
“During the pandemic, we have asked the community many times to focus on kindness and helping others. This job action will impact the ability of essential workers to get to their jobs, people trying to get groceries and to appointments, and young people who use transit to get to school. Please reach out to your neighbours to ask for or offer help during this transit disruption.”
-With files from Pique 撸奶社区magazine
