Randy Kootte is the president of Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) 561, a local union that oversees the strike against First Transit, the U.S.-based company that operates transit in the Fraser Valley. The work stoppage has been ongoing since Mar. 20, with transit workers demanding equal wages compared to other transit companies in the Lower Mainland, as well as a pension. According to Kootte, a lot of employees “work into their seventies and eighties [because] their wages are so low and they have no pension. It’s unfortunate.”
As president, Kootte oversees CUPE 561 and makes sure their members are “represented accordingly, and that we abide by our bylaws and our national constitution.” Kootte decided to get involved because he believes in workers’ rights and that they need to be treated fairly and equally. “I enjoy helping people. I like being a part of the process.”
“We’re actually getting a lot of support,” said Kootte, “and I just believe it’s because the public believes that workers should be paid fairly. When they hear that we are 32 per cent below the rest of the transit workers in the region, they’re surprised.”
“A lot of our members use public transit, so they know all too well the impact it has, and they want nothing more than to get back to their jobs. And they love their jobs, you know, they love the interactions they have with the people on their buses. These people are losing out.”
According to Kootte, BC Transit needs to get actively involved to push for a resolution. “They’ve contracted this work out to this company, so they need to step in and get this company to come to the table with a deal that’s going to pay our members what we’re asking.”
Kootte explained that in order to end the job action quickly, what is needed “is for BC Transit to get in there and work with this contractor to come to the table with a deal that we’re gonna be able to accept.” He encouraged UFV students to go to www.weneedalift.ca and help support the union. “There’s a link to write a letter to BC Transit encouraging them to get involved… and end this dispute.”
“All we’re asking for is fair wages that are in line with what all the other public transit workers are making,” said Kootte. “It’s reasonable, and our workers deserve it. And we want to thank all the communities and the students for the support that we’re getting already. We appreciate that very much. And we’re going to do everything we can to end this as soon as possible.”
Jade is an English Honours: Creative Writing student. She plans on pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing after graduating from her undergraduate degree. When she’s not in class or studying, she can be found doing karaoke at a local restaurant in hopes of getting noticed and signed to a record deal.
