Bus service in Metro Vancouver was suspended Jan. 22 after CUPE 4500, the union representing a group of supervisors at Coast Mountain Bus Company (CMBC) has begun strike action after CUPE 4500 and CMBC were unable to come to an agreement on a new contract.
TransLink CEO Kevin Quinn shared his disappointment in the shutdown of TransLink bus services due to the contract dispute, saying in a statement, ““I’m frustrated and disappointed with the news that CUPE Local 4500, the union representing a group of supervisors at Coast Mountain Bus Company has begun strike action. This has shut down bus and SeaBus service across the region – leaving thousands of customers stranded.”
“With the help of our mediator, CUPE 4500 put in an honest effort to find some common ground with Coast Mountain but we are still not near where we need to be in addressing our key issues,” says Liam O’Neill, spokesperson for CUPE 4500. “For a fair settlement, CUPE 4500 members need wage discrepancies closed between them and other TransLink supervisors and we need to tackle critical workload issues.”
Services are expected to resume on Jan. 24. SkyTrain (Expo, Canada Line and Millennium Line), West Coast Express, HandyDART, West Vancouver Blue Bus, Bowen Island Community Shuttles and Langley Community Shuttles will not be affected and are expected to continue to operate.
Brandon Lewis | Associate Editor
Brandon Lewis is a recent graduate of Kent State University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. Lewis is a former freelance editorial assistant at Vehicle Service Pros.com in Endeavor Business Media’s Vehicle Repair Group. Lewis brings his knowledge of web managing, copyediting and SEO practices to Mass Transit Magazine as an associate editor.
