Workers at British Columbia's HandyDART transit service have rejected a final contract offer and their union says it is now considering its next move.DARRYL DYCK/The Canadian Press
The president of the union local for B.C. HandyDART workers says a withdrawal of the transit service is “imminent” as it prepares to serve a 72-hour strike notice.
Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724 president Joe McCann says members voted down a final contract offer by employer Transdev Canada by an “overwhelming” margin.
McCann says there’s still hope for the union and the employer to reach a deal at the bargaining table, but 83 per cent of members voted down the offer after meetings over the weekend and on Monday.
McCann says HandyDART workers want wage parity with other transit staff in the region, and there’s a “big disparity.”
He says escalating job action wasn’t effectively pressuring the employer, Transdev Canada, and a full work stoppage would still mean that HandyDART users in need of certain medical treatments would be able to book rides with the door-to-door service.
Stacy Patenaude, vice-president of communications and public affairs at Transdev Canada, says in an e-mailed statement that the firm is “disappointed this matter isn’t resolved” and it’s “assessing next steps.”
McCann says it’s unfortunate users will be inconvenienced, but Transdev Canada – a private firm contracted by TransLink to operate the accessible bus service – has indicated that it believes HandyDART workers “don’t deserve the same wages as a public company.”
He says the union believes the service should be taken out of private hands and no longer operated by a for-profit company because of the expected “tsunami” of riders who will need the service in the long term as demographics change.