Strike vote underway for SkyTrain workers, but no job action yet
Employer says a mediator has been appointed and talks are set to continue next week
SkyTrain workers are set to take a strike vote today after the BC Rapid Transit Company turned down the union's latest proposal for new bargaining dates.
No job action is planned yet.
CUPE 7000 represents about 900 SkyTrain workers who provide service as SkyTrain attendants and control operators as well as administration, maintenance, and technical staff.
Union president Tony Rebelo said in a written statement that the results of the vote will be announced Thursday.
"I want to emphasize that we are committed to reaching an agreement without any disruption to service. However, with this latest development and with the employer's failure to address key issues, CUPE 7000 members have directed the union to conduct this strike vote," he wrote in the statement.
Rebelo says the British Columbia Rapid Transit Company hasn't addressed the union's key issues like forced overtime provisions, sick plan, inadequate levels of staffing, and a fair wage compensation package.
He says CUPE 7000 reached out to the company over the weekend after months-long negotitations between the two sides broke off last Tuesday.
But according to Rebelo, the B.C. Rapid Transit Company declined the union's offer to meet this week.
In a statement, the company said that it is scheduled to have mediated talks with the union next week.
"Given that a mediator has now been appointed, we need to respect that process and look forward to seeing productive discussions between the two parties," reads the statement. "The appointed mediator was used during the last collective bargaining process and is very familiar with the issues."
Stepping up pressure
A strike involving transit workers also escalated on Tuesday.
Unifor announced that it would be holding a news conference Wednesday to reveal its next phase of job action after it said the employer, Coast Mountain Bus Company, failed to make a new offer at the bargaining table.
Unifor represents about 5,000 mechanics, bus and SeaBus operators and has been refusing overtime since the beginning of November on a rotating basis after contract talks broke off.
Rebelo says if CUPE 7000 members vote to strike, it would put the union in a legal strike position, but a 72-hour notice would have to be issued.
"Our goal is still to have a good deal at the table without having any type of service disruption," said the union president.
With files from the Canadian Press