Unionized transit employees across Metro Vancouver will vote Monday on a tentative agreement with Coast Mountain Bus Company, with a full withdrawal of bus and SeaBus service set for Wednesday if it is rejected.
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Unionized transit workers in Metro Vancouver are scheduled to vote next week on a tentative deal reached with Coast Mountain Bus Company, a process that could lead to a full work stoppage including a complete withdrawal of bus and SeaBus service.
Unifor Local 111 and Unifor Local 2200 said their members will vote on Monday on the agreement reached last week after bargaining talks began in February.
The union said a strike would begin early Wednesday if the deal is rejected, with a complete withdrawal of bus service and SeaBus service across Metro Vancouver set to start at midnight.
Unifor reported that members have already turned down two earlier tentative agreements during the bargaining process and authorized strike action in a vote of more than 99 per cent.
Negotiations with Coast Mountain Bus Company included the use of a mediator after talks stalled, according to the report, which helped produce the latest tentative deal.
The union also previously described specific job actions that formed part of the bargaining pressure, including a uniform ban and a refusal to give up break times to operate bus routes running behind schedule.
Coast Mountain Bus Company has said the tentative agreement fits within a framework used in other public-sector union deals, according to the available information.
For riders across Metro Vancouver, the timeline outlined by the union means Monday’s vote will determine whether service disruption begins Wednesday at midnight, affecting both ground transit and the SeaBus crossing.
The lead-up to the vote suggests the bargaining has been contentious and prolonged, with multiple rejected tentative agreements already in the process and prior authorization for strike action by a large majority of union members.
In practical terms, commuters who rely on buses or the SeaBus may want to prepare for possible service interruptions beginning Wednesday night depending on the Monday vote outcome.
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