Fraser Valley bus union begins job action, halts most services Thursday
Global News
'You want to have a driver out there who's not tired, that's doing their job, who's happy to be there,' said the CUPE Local 561 president of Thursday's transit work stoppage.
The union representing bus drivers in the Fraser Valley, CUPE Local 561, began its strike Thursday, halting most services.
“You want to have a driver out there who’s not tired, that’s doing their job, who’s happy to be there. Where right now, (drivers) are doing 14 hours of work for eight hours of pay, it is getting a bit much,” said Jane Gibbons, CUPE Local 561’s president.
“You want to have a better, healthier driver. That’s what we’re working on.”
Transit riders in the Fraser Valley will be affected in the Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Mission, Hope, and Agassiz-Harrison regions.
According to BC Transit, the handyDART service will remain at full capacity.
“The labour dispute is between our contractor, First Transit, & their unionized staff,” BC Transit said in a Tweet.
The job action is the latest escalation in an ongoing contract dispute and is expected to last until Saturday.