metro vancouver union ramps up job action with full strike planned for monday
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the union representing metro vancouver outside workers said it plans to escalate its three-week job action to a full-scale strike on monday.
all non-essential workers will walk off the job monday and rally outside metro’s burnaby headquarters in a bid to get a new contract, said the greater vancouver regional district employees’ union.
union president jesse medeiros said the full-scale strike will be noticed by the public as workers will not be present at popular regional parks like grouse mountain, derby reach and deas island.
workers will also walk off the job at watersheds, wastewater treatment plants, operations yards, construction sites and other facilities.
“our members are angry and frustrated that after 17 months without a contract, metro vancouver management continue to ignore the concerns of the front-line workers who deliver important services across the region,” said medeiros in a statement issued friday.
starting friday and continuing through the weekend, workers at regional parks will work only between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m., said the union.
it has also removed workers from other facilities, including the coquitlam watershed, coquitlam water treatment plant, seymour watershed operations and security, and the lower seymour conservation reserve.
the escalation comes days after picket lines went up temporarily at the grouse grind and vancouver’s queen elizabeth park, where the metro-operated little mountain pump station and reservoir are located.
medeiros said the union regrets the impact on the public but its members can no longer afford to wait indefinitely for a new collective agreement.
in a statement friday, metro vancouver said it is ready for mediator-assisted talks and has offered 10 dates for negotiations, which were declined by the union.
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“we want to reassure residents that essential services are continuing without disruption under our essential services agreement with the gvrdeu,” said jillian glover, a spokeswoman for the regional district.
the union represents about 600 metro workers, along with 150 contract workers, who operate and maintain regional services including water, sewer, infrastructure and parks.
sticking points between the union and metro management include worker safety, contracting out of bargaining-unit work, and recruitment and retention. metro said its latest offer includes a wage hike of more than 10 per cent over three years.
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