Metro Vancouver HandyDART workers set to strike on Sept. 3: union

Workers at Metro Vancouver's HandyDART transit service are set to go on strike Sept. 3, according to their union.

Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724 said the work stoppage will begin at 5 a.m. PT after the majority of its membership rejected an offer earlier this week by Transdev, the contracted operator of HandyDART — a door-to-door shared transit service for people with permanent or temporary disabilities.

The union said it represents about 600 HandyDART workers, including drivers, dispatchers, mechanics and schedulers who work in the Greater Vancouver area.

Transdev and the union have been negotiating since last November. Key issues include staffing shortages, high worker turnover and higher wages, said Local 1724 president Joe McCann. 

"We want to have parity with the local bus drivers, the conventional transit, we're about 30 per cent behind them," McCann told CBC News.

Essential trips only

McCann said HandyDART would cut down services to about 18 per cent of normal runs during the work stoppage, only transporting people who need to be taken to appointments for dialysis, cancer treatments and multiple sclerosis. 

The service disruption will affect passengers across the Lower Mainland from Langley to North Vancouver, according to McCann.

Transdev, a French-based company, said the final offer vote rejected by employees included a $1,500 retention bonus in 2025 and a "significant compromise" on term length from Transdev.

"Our priority remains to reach a fair contract that balances the needs of our employees, HandyDART clients and taxpayers," said Emily Watson, Transdev's senior vice-president for Western Canada.

"We apologize to the community for the public impact of this collective bargaining dispute."

According to the union, Transdev management said it will be unable to meet for negotiations until Sept. 12. A representative for Transdev said they didn't know the reason.