Transit workers in Comox Valley and Campbell River prepare to walk off the job

Transit workers in Comox Valley and Campbell River, B.C., are set to go on strike Friday, saying their employer has not come to the bargaining table with a sufficient wage offer.

Pacific Western (PW) Transit operates bus services in the region and is contracted by B.C. Transit, the provincial agency responsible for local transportation outside Metro Vancouver.

Unionized workers — which includes bus drivers, mechanics, cleaners and support staff — had their contract with PW Transit expire on March 31, and subsequently rejected multiple offers from the company.

In total, 72 workers under the Unifor Local 114 umbrella are set to withdraw service on Friday morning at 4:30 a.m., after issuing a 72-hour strike notice on Monday.

"The biggest thing here is that this is not taken lightly by these workers," said Gavin Davies, Unifor national staff representative. "It's not just a knee-jerk reaction."

Davies added that he knew the strike would likely negatively impact residents of the Comox Valley, which had around 72,000 residents as of 2021, but that workers needed to have wage parity with transit workers elsewhere in the province.

Unifor says that PW Transit's offers in the past have not appropriately addressed the issues of wages, scheduling, and overtime. Davies said that workers are open to a resumption of bargaining, but either the employer or B.C. Transit would have to step up with additional funding.

In a statement, B.C. Transit says handyDART —  the service for people with disabilities who cannot use traditional buses  — will continue to offer essential service for customers with medical appointments on weekdays during the strike.

Davies said workers are aiming to make gains after "years and years" of subpar wages compared to other transit workers in the province.

"They're standing up and they're saying they want to be treated the same as other transit workers in Victoria and Vancouver," he said.

He referred to recent transit strikes  — in the Sea-to-Sky region and Fraser Valley — as being driven by the profit motive of third-party transit contractors.

"There's profits that can be made for these companies and it's a race to the bottom," he said.

B.C. Transit said in a statement that the contract dispute was between PW Transit and the union.

"B.C. Transit is closely monitoring the situation and sincerely apologizes to customers for the inconvenience caused by this matter," the statement read. "We understand the frustration felt by customers, and that the job action is difficult for everyone involved in these communities."

In a statement sent to CBC News Wednesday, PW Transit said a tentative collective agreement was recommended by the union bargaining committee on Dec. 5, but was rejected by union members. 

"The union's rejection of this tentative [collective agreement] follows the previous tentative agreement on Nov. 21 also recommended by the union bargaining committee for approval," reads the statement. "The company believes we have taken every measure to come to an agreement at the bargaining table and avoid a strike situation."

PW Transit said the Dec. 5 tentative deal included an overall compensation increase amounting to 18 per cent in three years. Its statement added that there was no timeline for when regular bus service could resume.