A three-day strike by SkyTrain workers has been averted, thanks to a new tentative agreement reached early this morning following a marathon bargaining session between CUPE 7000 and the BC Rapid Transit Company (SkyTrain).
Details of the tentative agreement will not be released until both parties have ratified it, but CUPE 7000 President Tony Rebelo said the eleventh-hour deal goes a long way to address many of the union’s concerns going into this latest round of bargaining.
“Both parties worked long and hard throughout the weekend, Monday, and in to Tuesday morning to get this deal done,” Rebelo said of the new agreement, reached just before 5 a.m. when a full shutdown of the Expo and Millennium lines was set to begin. Instead, normal service will resume shortly.
“We couldn’t have done it without the assistance of mediator Grant McArthur, so we thank him for his patience and wisdom throughout these talks,” said Rebelo. “I also want to thank my local bargaining committee and CUPE National staff for their efforts. Now it’s up to the members to ratify this agreement, which I can strongly recommend.”
CUPE 7000 represents approximately 900 SkyTrain workers who provide services as SkyTrain attendants and control operators, as well as administration, maintenance, and technical staff. The last contract expired on August 31, 2019.