As Fraser Valley Transit workers, we love our jobs and are dedicated to the communities we serve. Some of us have worked here for decades, getting to know the passengers we give a lift to every day, even watching some of them grow up and have kids of their own. But lately, it’s been hard to make ends meet. Now we’re the ones who need a lift.
Many of us are forced to work overtime, or take on a second job, to pay our bills. The fact is, we earn 32 per cent less than other transit operators in Lower Mainland B.C., people who do the same work. And there’s no pension.
That’s why we’re on strike.
First Transit is a private, U.S-based, for-profit company. They can afford to pay their employees what transit workers are earning elsewhere in the region. And they have had plenty of time to come to the bargaining table with a fair offer. But they have done little, if anything, to address these inequities.
Our members drive buses that say “BC Transit” on them. This misleads the public: we are NOT BC Transit employees, and we do not make BC Transit wages or have a BC Transit pension plan.
But BC Transit is responsible for providing public transit in the Fraser Valley, so it is up to BC Transit to end this strike. Please contact BC Transit and tell them so.
If you have any questions or need more information, please contact us at firsttransitstrike@cupe561.ca See below for details on how you can help us reach a fair deal with First Transit.
Thank you for your support!