A major tourism link between Seattle and Victoria will remain open this Labour Day weekend after owners of the Clipper passenger ferry and unionized workers reached a tentative agreement.
Unifor Local 114 announced the deal on Friday, the start of one of the Clipper’s busiest weekends of the year.
The union represents 25 Clipper employees at Victoria’s Inner Harbour terminal who work in customer service, baggage handling, ticketing and docking.
“Congratulations to the bargaining committee and the members who mobilized quickly to get the word out on both sides of the border about their struggle for a fair contract,” Gavin McGarrigle, Unifor’s western regional director, said in a statement.
A vote to ratify the tentative agreement is scheduled for Wednesday. Details of the agreement won’t be made public until after the vote.
Negotiations between the Clipper’s German-based owner, FRS, and the union have been ongoing since May, after the union’s previous contract expired in October 2022. The union was negotiating for increased wages, improvements to work schedules and better job security.
Unifor applied for the assistance of a conciliator to help close the gap between the parties, but said during the 60-day conciliation period, the company agreed to meet for only three days. Negotiations resumed last week after union members voted unanimously to strike.
The company was considering docking the ferries and bringing its customers over on the Coho ferry via Port Angeles.
In a statement, Clipper said it was pleased to reach the tentative deal.
“This shows our commitment to enter a collective agreement with our unionized team members, allowing us to continue to provide the high level of service FRS Clipper has been offering, and will offer, for years to come,” the statement said.
Ferry services between Victoria and Seattle will be offered this weekend on an updated schedule.
On Sunday, the Clipper will sail from Seattle to Victoria at 8 a.m. and sail from Victoria to Seattle at 7 p.m. On Monday, the Clipper will return to its regular schedule, sailing from Seattle to Victoria at 8 a.m. and sailing from Victoria to Seattle at 5:30 p.m. Travellers who were booked on alternative transportation are being contacted and rebooked on the Clipper V.
