A tentative agreement has been reached in the transit strike in the Comox Valley and Campbell River that began Dec. 15.
Pacific Western Transportation — which is contracted by B.C. Transit to deliver transit service in those areas — and the Unifor Local 114 bargaining committee reached the agreement after meeting Wednesday and Thursday with a mediator, said Unifor national representative Gavin Davies.
“If all goes well, details on when the public can expect transit services to resume will be announced next week,” the company said in a statement.
The union has committed to have mechanics report to work today to inspect buses to ensure they are roadworthy, Davies said.
Davies said the tentative agreement will be taken to the membership after the weekend.
No details of the agreement are available before ratification. A previous tentative agreement that was rejected in November included a 15 per cent wage hike over three years.
Davies said 74 workers were affected by the strike, including drivers, mechanics and vehicle cleaners. HandyDART service for medical and other critical appointments has been maintained under essential-service agreements.
“It’s been tough,” Davies said. “Never mind the financial hardship that any strike causes, the weather hasn’t been that great either.”
The strike was “years and years in the making,” he said. “Transit workers are getting tired of being the subject of employers having to be the lowest bidder in a bidding process.”
The workers have been seeking wage parity with transit systems of comparable size, including those in Whistler and the Cowichan Valley.
They have been earning about $5 less an hour than their Whistler counterparts, who accepted a settlement package last year after a 137-day strike that included annual wage hikes for drivers that will take them to $36.46 an hour over five years. They also received a two-per-cent signing bonus and a cost-of-living adjustment tied to B.C.’s monthly consumer-price index.
A recent casual driver position posted for the Comox Valley and Campbell River listed a pay range of $21.18 to $28.48 an hour.
Davies said it will be a relief to bring transit service back to the public.
“The public support over the last six weeks just been absolutely phenomenal.”
People dropped by the picket lines daily with coffee and doughnuts, he said.
“You always have your negative comments but the vast majority has been very supportive of the workers.”
