Lake Cowichan’s Daniel Lotzien was excited to begin his new job at Thrifty’s in Duncan on Feb. 11.
Lotzien had recently returned to his hometown in Lake Cowichan and was pleased to find a new job at Thrifty’s soon after his arrival.
He has no vehicle at this time and is dependent on B.C. Transit buses to get back and forth to his job and, with buses providing regular service between Lake Cowichan and Duncan, he didn’t foresee any transportation problems.
But Lotzien knew nothing about the transit strike in the Cowichan Valley that began on Feb. 8 on his first day of work three days after the labour dispute began, and had to scramble to find another way to Thrifty’s.
“I was able to find a ride with a member of my family, but that’s not sustainable in the long term,” he said.
“There are bus stops close to my home in Lake Cowichan so I intended to rely on the buses to get back and forth to work. I don’t know what my options are at this stage if the strike doesn’t end soon. I’ve contacted the Cowichan Valley Regional District and the office of my MLA [Debra Toporowski] to see what’s being done and am waiting for replies.”
Transit workers in the Cowichan Valley who are members of Unifor Local 114 and Local 333 went on strike soon after talks broke down with their employer, Transdev Canada, which was formerly known as First Transit.
The 44 Unifor members in Local 114 in the Cowichan Valley, who work as transit operators, cleaners and mechanics, and eight HandyDART operators represented by Local 333, have not been able to come to an agreement with the company and negotiations broke down on Jan. 23.
Lotzien said his inability to get to his job is putting his financial stability at risk.
“I know I’m not the only one struggling,” he said. “Many workers, students, and seniors depend on public transit, and we are left without options. The lack of urgency in resolving this issue is unacceptable. I’m encouraging people to put pressure on BC Transit, Transdev Canada, the union and government officials to end this strike as soon as possible.”
Transdev is contracted by BC Transit to provide transit services in the Cowichan Valley, and the provincial Crown agency says the company and other private operators have the responsibility to “hire and manage their own work forces.”
Unifor said the dispute revolves around working conditions, wages and pensions.
The membership voted unanimously to authorize strike action in November, and Unifor said members had already started refusing to wear uniforms in late January as negotiations stalled.
“Bus drivers need to be protected, particularly when it comes to breaks and accessing safe and clean washrooms while on shift,” Unifor Western Regional Director Gavin McGarrigle said in a statement.
“We’re going to continue fighting until Transdev addresses this.”
Transdev Western Canada Senior Vice President Emily Watson said when the strike began that the employer had met with the union in an effort to avoid the work stoppage.
“While we had productive dialogue on many items, the parties remain far apart,” Watson said. “Our priority remains to reach a fair contract that balances the needs of our employees, Cowichan Valley transit riders, and taxpayers. We sincerely apologize to the community for the inconvenience of this collective bargaining dispute.”
While bus service is shut down across the Cowichan Valley’s transit system, HandyDart services for essential needs such as appointments related to renal dialysis, cancer treatment and multiple sclerosis will continue during the strike.
Bus service is also suspended for the Route 66 CVX Cowichan-Victoria Express and Route 99 SVX Shawnigan Lake-Victoria Express that provide inter-regional service between the Cowichan Valley and Victoria.
While the Nanaimo Cowichan Express (NCX) is not affected by this service suspension, BC Transit advises customers using the NCX to reach the Cowichan Valley that there will be no local fixed-route service beyond the NCX drop off locations during the strike, and no ability to travel to and from Victoria.
—With files from Canadian Press
