Hospital transfer workers begin strike action Friday over wages and vehicle safety

More than 200 hospital transfer workers in British Columbia are escalating job action starting August 23, after contract negotiations stalled between their union and SN Transport, the company that operates non-emergency medical transport across the province.

The Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724 announced that workers will stop wearing company uniforms on August 23, then escalate to an overtime refusal on August 30. Union president Joe McCann said workers are prepared to begin a full work stoppage—with the exception of services the Labour Board deems essential—if management does not return to bargaining.

"I don't feel optimistic that they'll do so," McCann said of the company's willingness to negotiate.

Workers are seeking improvements to wages, vehicle maintenance, and workplace safety. According to the union, hospital transfer workers earn 41 percent less than employees in comparable transit positions elsewhere in the region. Driver Wilson Molina, who has worked for Hospital Transfers for more than 10 years, said some vehicles have holes in the roofs that leave workers soaked in the rain, and one colleague experienced brake and steering failure while driving.

"It's hard to make ends meet on these low wages, and the conditions of the vehicles we drive are abysmal," Molina said.

The company was acquired by private equity firm Arviat Equity Partners in 2024, and the union says working conditions have deteriorated since. Contract negotiations began stalling in late July, prompting workers to vote in favour of strike action to restart bargaining. ATU International president John Costa framed the action as a last resort, saying these workers provide an essential service transporting patients safely across the province on stretchers and wheelchairs.

The strike will affect non-emergency medical transportation for patients requiring assistance to reach critical care.