HandyDart strike strands passengers
HandiDart driver assists an Aldergrove senior citizen to an appointment last week. Locals, particularly rural residents, will be hard hit by the current strike as regular bus service is not available to many here and taxi fares can be prohibitively expensive.
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Updated: October 28, 2009 12:20 PM
A strike by HandyDart workers has shut down nearly all custom transit service for thousands of special needs passengers, who are now either stranded at home or forced to find other transportation.
Picket lines went up Monday morning at sites around the Lower Mainland.
Essential service levels are in place, requiring the roughly 12 per cent of trips for medically necessary renal dialysis and cancer treatment continue.
But about 4,400 of the typical 5,000 HandyDart trips a day won't operate.
"It's going to have a very large impact on people with disabilities and seniors who need the service," said Jane Dyson, executive director for the B.C. Coalition of People with Disabilities.
She said the strike will disrupt regular trips to community centres and shopping that are crucial to maintaining independent living, as well as non-urgent medical appointments.
Dyson asks anyone who knows someone who normally uses HandyDart to check in with them to see if they need assistance.
"I really hope the strike is short," Dyson said. "I hope it can be resolved as quickly as possible."
HandyDart has about 28,000 active users across the Lower Mainland, although some use the service as little as once every few months.
The labour dispute pits the Amalgamated Transit Union, which represents more than 500 drivers, office and maintenance staff, against MVT Canadian Bus Inc., a subsidiary of a U.S.-based firm.
TransLink last year awarded MVT the $113-million three-year contract to run HandyDart for the whole region, replacing several different agencies that used to run the service.
Union local president Dave Watt said the company is trying to wring more profits out of the operation by securing major concessions, including a weakening of the pension plan, reduced shift lengths and other benefit reductions.
"We are very disappointed," MVT operations vice-president John Siragusa said of the union's decision to strike.
MVT says it it's offering to raise drivers' pay at least 3.7 per cent to $21.25 but the union is seeking a significantly higher rate of $25.35 an hour.
Union members voted 97 per cent for strike action several weeks ago and 72-hour-strike notice was issued last Thursday.
Talks have been underway for 10 months.
MVT has tabled a "final offer" to the union and cancelled negotiations, which were scheduled for Tuesday.
BC Federation of Labour president Jim Sinclair blamed TransLink for the dispute.
"TransLink must assume its responsibility to provide quality services and pay fair wages and benefits," he said.
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