Coast Mountain Bus Company and the union representing its transit supervisors both say they have accepted the recommendations of a mediator in an agreement that looks set to avert another Metro Vancouver bus strike.
A statement from the bus firm’s president, Michael McDaniel, says the next step is to sign a memorandum of agreement before the ratification process.
The announcement comes less than two hours after CUPE 4500, the union representing more than 180 supervisors, issued a statement saying it would back the recommendations of special mediator Vince Ready.
The union had set a deadline of 12:01 a.m. on Saturday for a tentative deal to be reached, or it would launch a 72-hour strike, following a stoppage that shut down bus and SeaBus services last week.
Union spokesman Liam O’Neill says in a statement that Ready’s proposal doesn’t “completely address” the local’s issues, but offers the best path for a mutually acceptable settlement.
Neither the union nor the bus firm described the terms of the tentative agreement.
The previous two-day strike by more than 180 supervisors was able to halt Coast Mountain services because drivers represented by a different union refused to cross picket lines.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 1, 2024.
The Canadian Press
