More than 200 hospital transfer workers in British Columbia are preparing for job action after their union issued a strike notice amid stalled contract negotiations.
The Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 1724 announced that strike action will begin Aug. 23, when drivers, care attendants and trainers employed by SN Transport stop wearing company uniforms. The union says the action will escalate on Aug. 30 with an overtime refusal.
ATU Local 1724 president and business agent Joe McCann said workers are prepared to take further action if a new agreement is not reached.
“We have everything in place to begin a full work stoppage, with the exception of services deemed essential by the Labour Board, shortly following the overtime refusal,” he said in a statement. “While I hope that SN Transport will get back to the table, bargain a fair deal and avoid disruption of this valuable service, I don’t feel optimistic that they’ll do so.”
McCann accused the company’s owners, Arviat Equity Partners, of prioritizing profits over public service.
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According to the union, working conditions at Hospital Transfers have deteriorated since the company was acquired by Arviat Equity Partners in 2024. Workers are seeking improvements to wages, vehicle conditions and workplace safety.
The union says hospital transfer workers earn 41 per cent less than employees in comparable transit positions elsewhere in the region. It also alleges some workers have felt pressured to operate unsafe vehicles.
“Private equity should have no place holding British Columbia’s largest contract for non-emergency medical transport,” McCann said. “This company’s profit-seeking comes at the cost of public safety, worker dignity and service quality.”
Contract negotiations stalled in late July, prompting workers to vote in favour of strike action in an effort to restart bargaining.
Wilson Molina, a Hospital Transfers driver with more than 10 years of service, said employees began organizing after noticing changes following the company’s sale.
“My colleagues and I decided to unionize a year ago because we noticed that workplace conditions were deteriorating after Arviat bought us,” he said.
He said workers struggle with low wages and concerns about vehicle maintenance.
“It’s hard to make ends meet on these low wages, and the conditions of the vehicles we drive are abysmal,” Molina said. “Some of the vehicles’ roofs are full of holes so that we get soaked when driving them in the rain, and one of my colleagues had her brakes and steering go out while she was driving.”
Molina added that workers are prepared to strike if necessary to secure improvements.
ATU International president John Costa said the union views strike action as a last resort.
“These workers provide an essential service in transporting patients safely across British Columbia on stretchers and in wheelchairs to get the critical care they need,” Costa said. “Yet this private equity firm is putting profits over people, treating our members and their patients with disrespect while jeopardizing their safety.”
Hospital transfer workers provide non-emergency medical transportation services for patients requiring assistance travelling to and from medical appointments and health-care facilities throughout the province.
CityNews has reached out to SN Transport for comment.
