Vancouver school bus drivers, attendants face pay cut below living wage standards

About 200 bus drivers and attendants contracted by the Vancouver School Board (VSB) have been told their wages will be cut as the VSB will stop being a living wage employer.

VSB became a living wage employer in 2022, topping up workers' pay, including contractors, to a living wage — which is calculated based on what two full-time working adults need to earn per hour to meet the basic needs of a family of four, including buying food, paying rent, and other bills.

But on April 4, workers were told in an email from their employer First Student Inc. that the school board's living wage supplement had "come to an earlier-than-anticipated close," according to the email viewed by CBC News.

"This is terrible news for those workers, who are among the lowest-paid workers at the Vancouver School Board," said Bill Tieleman, spokesperson for the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 963.

The workers whose wages are being reduced are not unionized, according to Tieleman.

"People in the workplace were crying, as we understand it, just wondering how they're going to make ends meet."

Metro Vancouver's living wage in 2024 was $27.05 per hour. Drivers have been told that their wages will drop to $23.40 per hour, while attendants will have their wages sink to $19.65 per hour.

VSB said the changes will be in effect "no sooner than" July 1.

"With significant yearly fluctuations in the Living Wage rate, VSB can no longer certify as a Living Wage [B.C.] employer and will not be providing contractors with supplemental funding to provide their employees with wages that align with Living Wage [B.C.'s] hourly rate," the board said in a statement to CBC News.

'Incredibly disappointed'

Advocacy organization Living Wage B.C. said it's "incredibly disappointed" that VSB will stop being a living wage employer.

"At a time when all of us need to come together to face unprecedented economic threats, it has never been more important that workers earn a Living Wage," said provincial manager Anastasia French in a statement.

"We urge the VSB to change course and work with partners to find a solution which ensures that all of their direct and contracted staff can earn a Living Wage."

VSB said the Public Sector Employers' Council Secretariat sets the mandate for compensation and bargaining for all school districts in the province, and has not mandated districts to provide a living wage.

"As the VSB has multi-year collective agreements in place that expire on June 30, 2025, VSB does not have the ability at the local level to increase wages at this time," the school board said.