Metro Vancouver park workers walk off job indefinitely over contract dispute

Unionized workers at 25 Metro Vancouver regional parks walked off the job indefinitely starting Sunday, July 5 at 7:45 a.m., escalating job action over stalled contract negotiations.

The Greater Vancouver Regional District Employees' Union (GVRDEU) represents more than 600 workers across regional services. The strike affects popular parks including Grouse Mountain, Capilano Regional Parks, Pacific Spirit Park, Deas Island Regional Park, Boundary Bay, Derby Reach, Campbell Valley, Tynehead, and Belcarra. Only 15 essential-services workers designated by the Labour Relations Board remain on site.

Union spokesperson Bill Tieleman said the public should expect inconveniences: garbage collection has become irregular, staff are unavailable to assist visitors, and trail maintenance and repairs have stopped. "Trails that can be in disrepair or have something go wrong, particularly ones like Grouse Grind, there won't be the staff there with the ability to kind of fix trails and things," Tieleman said.

The strike escalated from a Saturday announcement of limited hours (7 a.m. to 4 p.m.). Union president Jesse Medeiros said the escalation reflects worker anger over management's demands at the bargaining table. Key disputes centre on health and safety protections, recruitment and retention of skilled workers, and concerns about contracting out jobs to outside consultants. Medeiros noted that senior managers earn up to $567,000 annually in salaries and benefits while elected board members make over $300,000, yet unionized workers who deliver front-line services remain underpaid.

Metro Vancouver says all regional parks remain open to the public. The next mediation session with the Labour Relations Board is scheduled for Saturday, July 11.