The union representing transit operators in the Fraser Valley plans to significantly escalate its job action on Monday.
Bus drivers with Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 561 have been refusing to collect fares since Feb. 2. Beginning on Monday, the union plans to withhold all services except HandyDART in their service area, which includes Chilliwack, Abbotsford and surrounding communities.
The union also plans to hold a rally at Abbotsford City Hall at noon on Monday "to raise public awareness about the issues of low wages, the lack of a pension, and poor working conditions that led to the job action," according to a statement from CUPE 561.
BC Transit, the agency responsible for public transit services in B.C. outside of Metro Vancouver, issued a statement Friday apologizing to system users for the inconvenience caused by the strike.
"We understand the frustration felt by customers, and that the job action is difficult for everyone involved in the region," the statement reads.
BC Transit contracts its operations in the region to First Transit, and specified in its statement that the labour dispute is between the contractor and the union.
In its statement, the union accused the employer of refusing to bring compensation in line with that of other transit workers in the region.
“We had hoped to reach a fair collective agreement without any disruption in service, but First Transit had other ideas. The company cannot be surprised that we have arrived at this point,” said CUPE 561 president Jane Gibbons, in the statement.
If a deal is not reached by Feb. 28, the job action will escalate in the following weeks, the union said.
