TransLink says Metro Vancouver transit services will resume operations as usual after it reached an agreement with the union the day before a planned strike.
The transportation agency has been advising riders on social media that all of its operations, including bus, SeaBus, SkyTrain, Canada Line, and West Coast Express, will be up and running on Feb. 2 and through the weekend.
The update follows weeks' worth of collective bargaining between CUPE Local 4500 -- the union representing some transit supervisors -- and its employer, Coast Mountain Bus Company (CMBC), which is owned by TransLink.
On Thursday afternoon, the union and CMBC accepted special mediator Vince Ready's recommendations, which were aimed at preventing another transit strike. The union said the recommendations are an "acceptable compromise for its members" that takes sufficient steps toward addressing several of its key issues.
The union told V.I.A. that it won't release any details about the recommendations and will not do so until presented to members for ratification.
Metro Vancouver transit strike averted ahead of planned job action
CMBC President and General Manager Michael McDaniel said the company also accepted the recommendations, adding that the transit strikes "lead to significant public hardship" over the past several weeks.
If an agreement wasn't made, the union had planned to move forward with a 72-hour strike on all CMBC bus and SeaBus routes effective 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 3.
The previous transit strike resulted in commuter chaos across the Lower Mainland, forcing many locals to pay exorbitant prices for ride-hailing services and miss or show up late to work or school.
CUPE 4500 had also applied to the BC Labour Relations Board (BCLRB) to expand its picket lines to the SkyTrain, Canada Line, and West Coast Express, but a ruling hadn't been made in that hearing before the union accepted Ready's recommendations.
TransLink and other transportation providers had also applied to the BCLRB for essential service designations to prevent the dispute from further impacting transit in Metro Vancouver.
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