VANCOUVER — Metro Vancouver’s bus drivers were expected to vote late Thursday in favour of a strike to bolster their demands for better wages and improved working conditions, including food and bathroom breaks.
Union officials representing the workers, which include 3,700 transit operators, mechanics, SeaBus skilled trade and support workers, said the move was needed as an extra measure after talks broke down over TransLink subsidiary Coast Mountain Bus’s demands for concessions around issues such as wages, benefits and a time-and-half premium for Sunday shift work.
The vote results were not available late Thursday night, but Nathan Woods, president of Unifor Local 111, which represents transit operators, said he was pretty confident members would support the move. There is no indication of when, or if, 72-hour strike notice would be given, he added, noting more talks have been scheduled with the company in May.
