Bulletin
Update on Friday’s TransLink announcement and next steps
May 8, 2020
To: All MoveUP members at Coast Mountain Bus Company, Translink, and BC Transit
After several weeks of uncertainty and stress, today we finally received some positive news and it would not have happened without your efforts.
As many of you are now aware, our provincial government has worked with TransLink to rescind the previously announced layoffs and service cuts that were due to begin in just over a week.
This announcement would not have been possible if it was not for all of you who emailed or called elected officials, joined our Facebook group to support your colleagues, and helped to share resources, petitions, and other news with your friends and family.
This news provides relief for all of us – from those of you who were initially given layoff notices to those who were not being laid off but were concerned about your fellow members’ well-being, as well as all of us at MoveUP who have been working hard to prepare for the possibility of layoffs, and to our communications staff who have put together our public-facing campaign to call for urgent funding for public transit.
We want to thank, in particular, your Labour Adjustment Committees – Jennifer Froese, Gabe Van Bergen, and Safar Alikhani for TransLink, and Ruth Ritchey, Brendan Faustin, Vivian Ho, and Sean Gosse for Coast Mountain Bus Company – for all the work they have done to support our members throughout this process.
Our work is not yet over. While the layoffs will not be happening for now, we know there are more challenges we will face. We may have to deal with a second wave of COVID-19. We will need to figure out what the new normal will look like when transit riders return to the system.
Most importantly, we know that for our public transit system to have long-term stability and viability, we will need direct support from our federal government. We will continue our Fund Transit Now campaign and will continue our efforts to call on all levels of government to demonstrate their commitment to public transit, to provide urgent bridge funding during this COVID-19 crisis, and to develop a new funding model for public transit in B.C. moving forward so public transit can remain strong.
If you have not done so yet, I encourage you to join our Transit Facebook Group as well as to visit our Fund Transit Now Campaign Page to find more ways you can continue to make your voice heard.
In solidarity,
Christy Slusarenko, Vice-President, Combined Units
Parm Sandhar, Union Representative