As if a snowstorm that snarled Lotusland traffic wasn’t bad enough, Vancouver commuters awoke Monday morning to a transit strike that is wreaking havoc across the entire Lower Mainland including ferry terminals and the airport.That’s because CUPE Local 4500, which represents 180 supervisors and communications workers staged a 48-hour job action on Monday morning that affects routes in the city’s metro-area in Surrey, Richmond, Burnaby and Port Coquitlam in addition to the Seabus commuter ferry in North Vancouver.Unlike cities such as Calgary or Edmonton, Vancouver’s transit network consists of multiple systems operated by multiple contractors representing multiple union locals — in other words, it’s a recipe for chaos.Local television stations broadcast footage of people at stops throughout the city who were oblivious to the fact that their buses weren’t coming.."Unfortunately, the union again refused the improved offer. This is unacceptable and unreasonable."Coast Mountain Bus Company.And though several routes were still running, including the SkyTrain to the airport, students at the University of British Columbia were forced to find other alternatives. Transit services in adjoining municipalities such as Langley were up and running, unless they happened to connect with a route that was down.To make matters worse, city-operated cabs were scarce. Uber rides to the campus that would normally cost $15 were going for more than $50 — if they were available.Passengers at YVR were cautioned to make parking arrangements, due to a higher number of people taking their cars to the airport. Likewise, parking lots and garages in a city already known for a lack of public parking were overflowing as streets jammed with cars.Likewise, various union locals on other systems were refusing to cross picket lines on routes operated by the Coast Mountain Bus Company which operates the largest single transit service area in Canada, employing 6,000 people..Over the weekend, it joined in mediation talks with the union to offer higher overtime pay and benefits, in addition to hiring more staff, but was rejected."Despite our best efforts to reach a compromise with CUPE Local 4500, the union representing supervisors at CMBC has refused to adjust its demand for wage increases that are more than the wage increases accepted by all other unions at CMBC and countless other public sector employees," company president and general manager Michael McDaniel said in a statement early Monday morning. "Unfortunately, the union again refused the improved offer. This is unacceptable and unreasonable."For its part, the union is holding a press conference later this afternoon to provide an update on negotiations and status of the strike.
