Striking Central Okanagan bus drivers were heartened by displays of support shown them by some idled passengers.
Since the transit operators walked off the job last week, a half-dozen members of the public have joined them on the picket line at the city’s main bus yard.
“It was nice to see when these people came out, all on their own, to walk with us,” local union president Scott Lovell said Sunday. “We made them honorary members of our union.”
That bit of brightness aside, however, there have been no other significant developments since the strike began last Thursday. Contract talks between the union and First Canada, the company that runs Kelowna Regional Transit, have not resumed.
“We haven’t heard anything from the company, apart from a few complaints about where and how some of our guys are picketing,” Lovell said.
Nevertheless, the mood among the 217 members of the local chapter of the Amalgamated Transit Union remains upbeat, he said.
“The members are very positive. Spirits are good,” Lovell said. “They just want to be treated fairly.”
First Canada has offered a three-year contract with raises totalling 2.5 per cent. In addition to that, the union is looking for wage adjustments it says would add another 1.5 per cent to the company’s total wage bill.
The start rate for bus drivers is about $16 an hour, rising to $26 for operators with the most seniority.
Kelowna drivers are paid about 15-20 per cent less than in Vancouver and Victoria, the union says, with the difference even higher when other monetary-related issues, like the lack of a pension, are considered.
There is a union strike fund the drivers can draw on, but they won’t get paid for the first two weeks of the work stoppage. After that, the payments will be only about $150 a week, Lovell said.
“It’ll help, but it’s pretty minor compared to our regular wages,” he said. “Right now, we’re doing what we can for members ourselves, taking up a collection for people who need some extra help.”