Fraser Valley transit strike set for Monday; HandyDART not impacted

CHILLIWACK — Job action that began in early February with bus drivers refusing to collect fares will escalate this coming Monday and Tuesday (Feb. 27-28) with the full withdrawal of all bus services except for HandyDART.

CUPE 561, the union that represents First Transit workers in Chilliwack, Abbotsford and the surrounding region, made the announcement today ahead of plans to hold a noon-hour rally on Monday (Feb. 27) at Abbotsford City Hall to bring attention to the issue of low wages, lack of a pension, and poor working conditions.

“We had hoped to reach a fair collective agreement without any disruption in service, but First Transit had other ideas. The company cannot be surprised that we have arrived at this point,” said CUPE 561 President Jane Gibbons.

“We were clear when this job action began that we wanted to cause as little inconvenience as possible to the riding public. We wanted to give residents ample notice of what might lie ahead if First Transit did not come to the table with a different approach. But the company did not hear that message and simply refuses to recognize its responsibility to bring compensation for these workers in line with that of other transit workers in the region.”