BC Transit warns of cancellations as workers escalate job action Tuesday

Transit riders across Greater Victoria are being warned to expect trip cancellations and delays beginning Tuesday as unionized BC Transit workers escalate their job action.

Unifor Local 333-BC will begin an overtime ban on September 1st following more than a year without a new collective agreement.

Members will continue working their regularly scheduled shifts, meaning buses will remain on the road. However, because scheduled transit service relies on employees accepting overtime, both the union and BC Transit are warning riders to expect a noticeable impact.

“This will result in impacts to conventional transit service, including trip cancellations and delays,” BC Transit said in a statement Monday.

The overtime ban only applies to conventional transit operations in the Victoria Regional Transit System and will not impact Victoria handyDART service.

“Our members did not arrive at this escalation by choice,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne.

“They arrived here because nothing short of it has moved the employer. An overtime ban is how transit workers apply real pressure while staying on the job, and it ends the moment BC Transit comes to the table with what it takes to settle.”

Under the ban, union members will work their scheduled shifts but nothing beyond them.

It marks the second stage of job action by Unifor Local 333-BC. Workers began refusing to wear their uniforms on August 17th, but that initial action did not impact transit service.

The labour dispute involves approximately 790 conventional transit operators and maintenance workers in Greater Victoria.

Workers voted 96.7% in favour of strike action in May after more than a year of bargaining. Their previous collective agreement expired on March 31st, 2025.

Unifor says the major unresolved issues include wages, run times and recovery times, which determine how long operators have to complete their routes and recover between trips.

“This dispute is about run times, recovery times and wages that have fallen behind,” said Unifor Western Regional Director Gavin McGarrigle.

“Our members have been without a contract since March 2025 and they have watched BC Transit come to the table without the resources to fix any of it. Riders in Greater Victoria deserve better than that, and so do the people who move them.”

Unifor says it is prepared to return to the bargaining table at any time.

BC Transit says it is working to issue service alerts as quickly as possible so customers have advance notice of affected trips.

The organization is also preparing business continuity plans in the event of further labour action and says it continues to work toward an agreement that balances the needs of employees, customers and the long-term sustainability of transit service.

Customers are encouraged to check the BC Transit alerts page before travelling for the latest cancellations, delays and service updates.