Buses line the Vancouver Transit Centre as transit workers from the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 4500 strike in Vancouver on Monday, Jan. 22, 2024. The B.C. Labour Relations Board says Metro Vancouver's regional bus operator breached rules by using replacement workers during last month's transit strike that paralyzed bus and SeaBus services. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns
VANCOUVER – The union representing transit supervisors with the Coast Mountain Bus Company says it has accepted recommendations from a mediator aimed at ending the possibility of strike action in Metro Vancouver.
A statement from CUPE 4500 says it’s now up to the bus company to accept the mediator’s plan, so further job action can be cancelled.
The union had set a deadline of 12:01 a.m. on Saturday for a tentative deal to be reached, or it would launch a 72-hour strike, following a stoppage that paralyzed bus and SeaBus services last week.
Spokesman Liam O’Neill says the recommendations from mediator Vince Ready “don’t completely address” the union’s issues, but offer the best path for a mutually acceptable settlement.
The statement doesn’t describe Ready’s recommendations, and Coast Mountain did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
O’Neill says there’s no need for transit users to face uncertainty, and the union hopes Coast Mountain makes a decision quickly.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 1, 2024.
