Kootenay Lake ferry workers start job action in southeast B.C.

Ferry workers on B.C.'s Kootenay Lake began job action against their employer on Sunday afternoon after a long-simmering contract dispute.

Dozens of workers represented by the B.C. General Employees' Union (BCGEU) started their strike just after 12 p.m. PT, saying that the most recent offer from their employer, Western Pacific Marine, was not satisfactory.

The unionized workers have been talking about striking since at least September, and are now taking job action over what they say are low wages and unsustainable working conditions.

Ferries are now set to only run three times per day on weekdays, and not at all on weekends, with essential sailings allowed outside of those times for emergency responders, schoolchildren and medical emergencies. Commuters are encouraged to check DriveBC for updates.

A separate job dispute by BCGEU-represented inland ferry workers in the Arrow Lakes region saw a tentative deal struck last week.

Maria Bennett, the treasurer for the union, said Saturday that both that deal and another one they recently reached with a different ferry service seem to be providing workers with a far better wage package.

The Kootenay Lake workers are looking for the same, Bennett said. 

WATCH | Kootenay Lake ferry service to be reduced: 

Inland ferry workers’ strike set to begin

27 days ago

Duration 2:36

In the West Kootenay region, inland ferry workers are expected to begin strike action on Sunday, following weeks of failed negotiations between the workers’ union and their employers. As Corey Bullock reports, the ongoing standstill is taking a toll on residents who rely on the service.

She said current staffing levels on the Western Pacific Marine ferry routes are not sustainable for workers, who were working entire shifts of overtime to keep the ferries going.

"We share a common goal with the members of the community, because we live in those communities as well," she said. "We understand why they're frustrated and we are trying to fight to improve the service."

Odai Sirri, the general manager for Western Pacific Marine, said the company has been in negotiations with workers for several months. He said the parties will continue to negotiate over the course of the strike.

"We can completely empathize with the community. We're frustrated. I'm sure the union and the membership are frustrated," he said. "We'd love to get to an agreement, and it has to work for all parties."

The inland ferries, which are operated by private companies but funded by the provincial government, are a part of B.C.'s highway system, acting as a bridge over certain waterways.

Long detours

The significant reduction in sailings is likely to add hours to commutes for those in the area, according to Megan Rokeby-Thomas, the owner of Ladybug Coffee near the Kootenay Bay ferry terminal.

"I believe it's the highest mountain pass in B.C. over the Salmo-Creston Pass, which is already getting snow. It's already getting sketchy weather up there," she told CBC News. "It's a huge detour for people, like it's hours out of their way."

Rokeby-Thomas, who is also director of the Kootenay Lake Chamber of Commerce, said there are a lot of workers who use the ferries to commute to and from Kaslo or Nelson.

WATCH | Rokeby-Thomas speaks before the strikes in September: 

Kootenay residents worry as ferry strike and lockout looms

2 months ago

Duration 4:57

The union representing inland ferry workers at seven crossings in B.C.'s Kootenays has voted in favour of job action, while one of their employers has issued lockout notice. Megan Rokeby-Thomas of the Kootenay Lake Chamber of Commerce says that means hundreds of residents who rely on the ferry could be cut off from school, jobs and services.

The union last went on strike in 2019, reducing routes to essential services only for three months.

Rokeby-Thomas said the biggest issue she sees with the current ferry job action is that the B.C. government has given a community service to a private corporation to run for profit.

In the short term, she said she would like to see the strike resolved quickly, but in the long term, she said there may need to be a different approach taken. 

"Maybe in five years when the [Western Pacific Marine] contract's up, maybe it needs to go back into the government hands or go into a non-profit."