Union workers on Hullo ferries are pondering a strike after talks for a collective bargaining agreement hit a roadblock.
Employees for the foot-passenger ferry joined the B.C. Ferry and Marine Workers' Union last September and in a recent memo to its collective, the union said the company has declared talks are "at an impasse."
The union said it had gauged its members, many who are "willing to take job action, up to and including a strike," with a vote among the next steps. However, the union also reminded workers that a vote favouring a strike doesn't necessarily mean workers are headed to the picket line. Rather, it will give the negotiation team "the mandate to push harder and, if necessary, take legal job action."
Eric McNeely, B.C. Ferry and Marine Workers' Union president, told the News Bulletin that its 86 workers will begin voting today and into early next week, with results being made public later next week. Everything will be business as usual over the long weekend.
"There's various forms of job action that could occur, and that's something that we take seriously and something that we take into consideration with our members," said McNeely. "Part of the reason we do polling on membership is to understand their desire and comfort, but we also appreciate that it's from the members' perspective. It's been nearly a year since they unionized, and they're still without a collective agreement."
The union president said wages are one of the sticking points.
"I think the priorities where we see some divergence are compensation and schedules and just being competitive in the marine sector," he said. "I think that's one of the big pieces, is in the marine sector on the West Coast, there's a lot of options, and looking to stay competitive for the membership. Members haven't seen an increase in almost two years and that's a challenge when we have annual inflation on both Vancouver Island and in Vancouver."
McNeely also said the union appreciates that Hullo is a newer business with a new business model and "there has been flexibility … through its proposals."
The union would have to issue 72 hours' notice before a strike could begin, but McNeely reiterated that a full-on strike is only one of the options.
"That could be petitions to the management team to come back to the table after declaring impasse. It could be wearing pins or lanyards that say 'Fair wages for ferry workers; come to the table,'" he said. "It could also be things like rotating strikes, not full strikes, different departments or divisions taking job action."
The fast ferry service, which shuttles passengers between downtown Nanaimo and downtown Vancouver, has been in operation since August 2023 and celebrated its second anniversary on Aug. 16.
Workers approached the union in April 2024 and based on voting, 82 per cent were in favour of unionizing at that time.
Hullo said it is willing to continue talks.
"To honour the integrity of the negotiation process, we are committed to keeping the specifics of these important conversations at the bargaining table," said Ryan Dermody, CEO, in an e-mail. "Discussions are ongoing, and our focus remains on working collaboratively toward a mutually agreeable outcome.”
