CUPE 7000 members have ratified the union’s tentative agreement with the BC Rapid Transit Company (SkyTrain). The agreement was reached at the end of an all-night, mediated bargaining session on December 10, narrowly avoiding a full shutdown of the Expo and Millennium lines by a matter of minutes.
The ratification was completed this afternoon following four days of electronic voting.
“This ratification concludes a very challenging round of bargaining and reflects the strong mandate that our bargaining committee received from members,” said CUPE 7000 President Tony Rebelo. “We couldn’t have reached this agreement without the dedication of those committee members, whose resolve held firm under difficult circumstances.”
The new four-year agreement, retroactive to September 1, 2019, features several improvements aimed at addressing affordability and wage fairness across the various professions represented by SkyTrain workers. The contract includes a general wage increase of 3 per cent annually.
“Like others across the B.C. South Coast, our members have struggled with affordability partly because of wages not keeping pace with true cost of living increases,” said Rebelo. “Our hope is that in securing wage fairness for our members, we will also help other workers across the region achieve fair wages and greater financial security for their families.”
CUPE 7000 represents approximately 900 SkyTrain workers who provide service as SkyTrain attendants and control operators as well as administration, maintenance, and technical staff.