The union representing Canada Line employees continues to negotiate with Protrans BC, the operator of the Canada Line, but is holding off on job action while talks continue.
Stephanie Smith, president of the B.C. Government & Service Employees' Union (BCGEU) tells Vancouver Is Awesome in a phone interview that members are prepared to strike if a fair agreement isn't reached. However, it is not something they want to do.
"Our goal has always been and always is to get a negotiated settlement," explains Smith. "The decision to take job action - particularly in the case where it is a disruption - is never one that's made easily."
As the union wants to get a good deal, Smith says the BCGEU is prepared to stay at the bargaining table for as long as it takes, warranted the talks are productive.
"We will keep going. We will go until either party decides it's not happening, in which case we will action the strike, or we will stay until we land a negotiated settlement."
What would job action look like?
"A strike would mean the picket lines up. It would be a full stop," explains Smith.
Wage parity with SkyTrain Workers and improvements to sick time
Of course, union members do not want to strike, but they've been without a contract since December 2019 and have been bargaining since February 2020 for a fair agreement. In November, Canada Line workers voted 98 per cent in favour of strike action.
Further, the BCGEU says that over the past year Canada Line employees have made extraordinary efforts on the front lines to keep transit running during the COVID-19 pandemic. These members are asking for their hard work to be recognized through wage parity with other SkyTrain workers and improvements to sick leave because as the pandemic has boldly highlighted, everyone's health and well-being depend on workers being able to stay home when they are sick.
"We started bargaining before the pandemic, and the collective agreement is about fairness. So this was about parity with TransLink SkyTrain workers. On average, they earn three per cent more than our members on the Canada Line under this private contractor. That was an issue that our members decided had to be addressed in this round," Smith explains.
"The other issue is around sick time. If the pandemic has shown us anything it's that people need to be able to stay home, not go to work sick, and, in the case of the Canada Line, potentially put the travelling public in danger."
The BCGEU represents about 180 workers at the Canada Line which is privately operated by Protrans BC Operations Ltd. and owned by the multinational SNC-Lavalin.
On Feb. 1, TransLink cautioned public transit users in Metro Vancouver that a service disruption was possible Monday afternoon on the Canada Line. The BCGEU was in a legal strike position as of 4 p.m., but the union is holding off on job action as talks continue with Protrans BC.
