5 things to know about Metro Vancouver's transit strike

Bus service for the nearly three million residents of Metro Vancouver is scheduled to resume on Wednesday at 3 a.m. — but the big questions surrounding the strike will continue.  

"Clearly, we don't have a deal now, so we'll have to plan our next escalation," said CUPE Local 4500 spokesperson Liam O'Neill on Monday, speaking about the job action taken this week by more than 180 supervisors for Coast Mountain Bus Company (CMBC).

But what could that escalation look like? And why can 180 workers have such an impact on the transit system? 

Here's our attempt to answer some of the questions about the transit strike.

1. Who is taking job action?

CUPE Local 4500 represents more than 180 transit supervisors, engineers, maintenance and communication workers who work for CMBC, a subsidiary of TransLink.

The union says the last collective agreement expired at the end of 2022.

Members voted in favour of a strike mandate in December 2023 and issued a 72-hour strike notice on Jan. 2. After two weeks of not working overtime, they withdrew all services on Monday. 

O'Neill said the job action was designed to last 48 hours, allowing for a restoration of service on Wednesday morning. 

While there was no deviation from that plan, there were also no negotiations between CUPE 4500 and the CMBC during that time.   

2. Why does this affect some transit operations but not others?

While many people may think of TransLink as one organization, a variety of different organizations are responsible for different facets of Metro Vancouver's transit system, which results in a variety of different unions. 

While most buses and the SeaBus were not in operation during the job action, service on the SkyTrain, West Coast Express, HandyDART and a handful of bus routes was not affected.

But that could change CUPE 4500 has asked the B.C. Labour Relations Board for the legal right to picket transit operations outside their specific jurisdiction.

A hearing on the matter has been scheduled for Jan. 29, following a separate hearing Wednesday and Thursday about replacement workers. 

3. What are the issues at play?

While some contract disputes involve significant disagreements over benefits or working conditions, this one appears to be almost entirely about money.

CMBC has released what it says are CUPE's demands, which work out to a 20 to 25 per cent increase for all its positions over three years, which would raise yearly salaries from a range of $92,000-$114,000 to $114,000-$141,000. 

CMBC says it has matched CUPE's demands in one category (mechanics supervisor), while offering a 14 to 15 per cent wage increase.

CUPE has disputed those numbers, but has said they're asking for wage equality with other TransLink employees doing similar jobs. CMBC has argued it's offered wage increases similar to ones given to its other workers.

On Wednesday morning, B.C. Labour Minister Harry Bains said he had appointed Vince Ready as special mediator to help solve the dispute.

4. Is TransLink's claim of a financial crisis accurate? 

One of the more contentious questions in the contract dispute is how much of an impact the future salaries of 180 workers could have on TransLink's financial operations. 

"The reality is, we are facing a fiscal crisis," said TransLink CEO Kevin Quinn this week, arguing that the long-term deficit TransLink is projecting means they have to be restrained in what they can offer for future wage increases.  

Quinn said if CUPE 4500 members received a 20 to 25 per cent wage increase, it could create expectations for future collective agreements with other unions that would cost TransLink an additional $250 million over the next decade.

Gavin McGarrigle, western regional director for Unifor, the union representing thousands of CMBC workers, sees it differently.

"The fact of the matter is, Coast Mountain has not been able to reach a deal with 180 people,'' said McGarrigle. 

"And they somehow think the cost of that is worth impacting thousands of workers directly employed by the system and the public."

5. What comes next? 

The provincial government could order binding arbitration in the dispute through a special mediator, or deem transit an essential service, though to date they have not signaled they are considering either option. 

Which means that, should negotiations between CUPE and CMBC not improve, further strike action could be taken — and perhaps expanded if CUPE is successful with its Labour Relations Board appeal. 

Which also means that commuters who rely on transit services like the 99 B-Line should keep a Plan B in mind going forward.

"I think they clearly have a strategy, and they're not going to lay it out on the table all in public,'' said Barry Eidlin, an associate sociology professor at McGill University and an expert in labour and social movements.

"They have made clear that they will consider a more open-ended strike, and they've also petitioned to strike at the SkyTrain. So that would expand not just the length but the scope of the strike.''