Unifor welcomes emergency funding for public transit
by CM Staff
Unifor previously advocated for emergency funding with an online campaign and a lobbying effort at all levels of government
VANCOUVER – Widespread transit worker layoffs will be averted thanks to emergency funding announced on May 8 by the federal and provincial governments, Unifor said in a statement.
“Passengers and transit workers across the country mobilized to defend public transit,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor national president in a prepared statement. “We’re relieved that governments listened and answered with funding that will help avoid transit chaos during recovery from a pandemic.”
Unifor previously advocated for emergency funding with an online campaign and a lobbying effort at all levels of government. On April 25, the union held an online virtual rally to give a voice to transit workers who knew that proposed layoffs would be problematic for the commutes of frontline workers.
Related: B.C.’s re-opening unrealistic with transit layoffs looming: Unifor
The announcement will result in the cancellation of 1,200 layoffs of Unifor members, and nearly 300 other union members in the Translink system.
“Transit operators and skilled trades maintenance staff are a lynchpin in the urban transportation network,” said Gavin McGarrigle, Unifor Western regional director in a prepared statement. “They’re on the frontlines with other COVID heroes doing work that it is critical to the Canadian economy during this precarious time. Emergency funding will help keep transit workers on the job so they can help other COVID heroes do theirs.”
