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The union representing Metro Vancouver’s transit operators has voted 99 per cent in favour of strike action.
Unifor locals 111 and 2200 represent about 5,000 workers in the TransLink system, including Coast Mountain Bus Company (CMBC) bus drivers and skilled trades, service and SeaBus workers.
The vote doesn’t guarantee job action but gives union members the option, if they issue a 72-hour strike notice.
“This was an amazing result,” Unifor western regional director Gavin McGarrigle told CBC News.
“It’s clear that [members are] behind their bargaining committee, that they’re not willing to accept taking things out of their contract and they want a fair contract as soon as possible.”
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Workers have been without a contract since March 31, while bargaining has been underway since February.
McGarrigle said there was significant distance between the two sides, with the company “talking about going backward” on issues like route length and bathroom breaks. He said talks broke off before they even reached wage concerns.
“There’s a number of issues where it became clear that the company really misread the mood of our membership,” he said.
The union says other key sticking points include health and safety and “dignity in retirement.”
In a statement, CMBC said it remains committed to reaching a “fair negotiated settlement,” but that it would not comment further due to upcoming bargaining sessions.
It said bus and SeaBus services continue to operate as normal.
Unifor has yet to issue the legally required 72-hour strike notice, and the union says no strike date has been set.
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Both sides are due back at the bargaining table on Monday.
McGarrigle said that if the union doesn’t believe there has been real progress in negotiations at that point, “all options are on the table.”
He pointed to the last time members of the two locals took job action in 2019.
That dispute did not involve a full strike, but saw workers take measures including refusing overtime and refusing to wear uniforms over the course of a month, and resulted in some travel disruptions.
In 2024, strike action by unionized Metro Vancouver transit supervisors resulted in a several-day system-wide service shutdown.
In 2001, transit operators walked off the job, shutting down the system for a record 123 days.