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British Columbia Tentative Agreement Reached for SkyTrain WorkersAfter close to an 18-hour bargaining session, negotiators for 900 SkyTrain workers, members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 7000, reached a tentative agreement with the BC Rapid Transit Company (BCRTC) just minutes before 5:00 am on December 10 when workers were set to begin strike action. The workers are train and station attendants, control operators, administration staff, technicians and maintenance workers. BCRTC is a wholly owned subsidiary of TransLink, the provincial government legislative body which oversees public transit operations in Metro Vancouver. According to a Vancouver Sun report published shortly after the tentative agreement was reached, CUPE Local 7000 President Tony Rebelo stated that it "goes a long way to address many of the union's concerns..." No details will be released before the ratification vote. Negotiations for a new contract have been ongoing since August 31 when the old contract expired. The union served 72-hour strike notice on December 6, following a 96.8 per cent vote in favour of job action. Workers are seeking wages acceptable to themselves, an end to compulsory overtime, improved staffing and changes to sick leave provisions.
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