Public transit is critical for many people in the Cowichan Valley, and a potential strike could cause significant disruption if it goes ahead.
According to Unifor Local 114 and Local 333, which represents transit workers in the Cowichan Valley, a strike notice has been issued after discussions between the unions and Transdev Canada broke down.
Neither party has been able to agree on a new contract after negotiations broke down on Jan. 23, and if the parties can’t agree by Feb. 7 the union says there will be a full work stoppage on the following Monday.
The work stoppage would impact HandyDART services, as well as conventional transit in the Cowichan Valley, with 44 members in Unifor Local 114 representing operators, cleaners, and mechanics and eight HandyDART operators in Local 333.
The current contract is set to expire at the end of March, and key topics on the table are wages, pension and working conditions.
