Ferry worker union calls for contract to be reopened to hike wages
B.C. Ferries will see a wave of workers quitting unless it reopens its collective agreement to increase wages as prices rise, says the president of the union representing employees.
At a meeting in Vancouver last week, members were “loud and clear” that they need an increase in wages, said Eric McNeely, president of the B.C. Ferry and Marine Workers Union.
“They are working massive amounts of overtime just to subsidize their income because the wages are too low. It’s not sustainable.”
Pay for some unionized ferry workers is falling behind what they could be earning in other marine-oriented businesses, or from employers outside the marine sector who hire staff with similar skills, he said.
It can be 20 to 40 per cent below other employers, said McNeely. He said he travelled around the fleet to meet with members on board vessels and working on land to discuss wage comparisons.
