Striking transit workers in Comox Valley, Campbell River, B.C. reach tentative agreement with employer

A tentative deal has been reached between transit workers in the Comox Valley and Campbell River and their employer, potentially bringing an end to a month-long strike.

Just over 70 workers employed by Pacific Western (PW) Transit on central Vancouver Island walked off the job on Dec. 15, calling for wage parity with transit workers in other parts of the province.

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.

In a short statement on Thursday, the employer said it had reached an agreement with Unifor Local 114's bargaining committee.

"The date for ratification is still to be determined," the statement read. "If all goes well, details on when the public can expect transit services to resume will be announced next week."

Gavin Davies, a national staff representative for Unifor, told CBC News the tentative agreement addressed the concerns of its members "and then some."

"Wages. That's what it boiled down to, that was the biggest thing," Davies said. "There [are] a couple of ... significant items for the [union] members, and we were able to address them in this round of mediation.

"We're actually confident and hopeful this will pass the members."

Unionized workers — which include 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.

Davies said that picketing workers received support from commuters during their month-long strike.

"The support of the travelling public, and the public at large, is being absolutely phenomenal," he said. "They understand the struggles of working class people, especially the bus drivers, and when they see the low wages, they get it."

Davies said there was no firm date for when services could resume in the region, but that as part of an agreement with PW Transit, unionized mechanics would return to the job as early as Friday to ensure buses are up to speed once service resumes.

He said this and other recent transit strikes in B.C. — in the Sea-to-Sky region and Fraser Valley — highlight the problems that occur when transit services are contracted out to private companies.

"We understand that the government has to be cognizant that we can't just throw money away," he said. "But these contracts shouldn't be given out to private companies to make profits off of."