Hospital Transfer Drivers Threaten to Strike for Higher Wages

When Wilson Molina starts up his hospital transfer bus Monday morning, he doesn’t know what to expect. The air conditioning might not work, he says. The heaters could be broken. The engine light is often on.

Molina remembers tapping the gas pedal to get out of his parking spot one damp Monday morning and having water leaking into the bus.

“All this water can come pouring down on my head, soaking me, soaking my chair, soaking my uniform,” he said. “Most of the buses have that issue. It’s very rare that I can actually keep a bus that has no major issues.”

Vehicle disrepair is one of the two main issues Molina has with his job, which involves about 200 workers in the Lower Mainland.

That, and the fact that after 11 years with SN Transport Ltd., the hospital transfer company pays him only $27.60 an hour, less than Metro Vancouver’s living wage.

“I love my job. I love doing what I do,” he said. “But when we're not given the right tools and the right compensation, it makes me wonder, Why am I doing this?”

Molina said the low pay and disrepair are partly why the Lower Mainland hospital transfer workers unionized with Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724 last year.

The union and the employer, SN Transport, are trying to get a first contract. But the union said that after nine months of bargaining, negotiations broke down, mainly over wages. Now, the drivers are escalating job action to get the company to make a better wage offer.

They stopped wearing uniforms Aug. 23 and started refusing overtime work Sunday.

ATU Local 1724 president Joe McCann said the transfer workers are prepared to walk off the job to get fair compensation.

“If we have to go there, we’ll go there,” he said. “We want to see at least an effort for them to provide something our members can vote yes on.”

An SN Transport spokesperson said in an email that the company is ready to return to the negotiating table.

“We believe we are very close to an agreement that provides a fair and competitive compensation package for our employees and also keeps this company strong for the long term,” the spokesperson said.

The company added that vehicles are inspected twice a year and those with reported safety concerns are removed from service until cleared by a qualified mechanic.