B.C. ferry workers ignore order to go back to work

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — B.C. Ferries workers picketed the province’s main ferry terminals Wednesday, defying a government back-to-work order and promising to shut down the fleet.

"Shut it down," yelled workers huddling around a car to hear the union’s announcement at the Horseshoe Bay terminal west of Vancouver.

Pickets began going up almost immediately.

The ferry service is an integral part of the province’s highway system and serves thousands of travelers every day on routes up and down the coast.

Labor Minister Graham Bruce met with the union Wednesday morning after imposing an 80-day cooling-off period the day before. The government has said service must return to normal levels.

Bruce said he was justified in imposing the order because he feared for the safety of the ferry workers and passengers, who were growing increasingly angry and frustrated.

"What’s important here is to try to work to a negotiated settlement," Bruce told reporters in Victoria after his meeting with union leaders. "All the cooling-off did was to try to calm things down."

Sid Allinson, who has worked for the ferry service for 12 years, was angry at the labor minister’s order.

"Next we’re going to see goon squads telling us to go to prison," he said.

Union officials were adamant about their plans to shut down the system.

"If the Liberal government does not remove the cooling-off period, the ships will … tie up," said union president Jackie Miller.

"If the Liberal government backs off from the cooling-off period, the ferries will run full service until (this) morning and then we will drop down to essential service levels and we’ll get down to bargaining," Miller said.

The union said vessels would be allowed to return to their home ports, meaning passengers that have been waiting at Horseshoe Bay west of Vancouver and Tsawwassen south of Vancouver will be able to board.

Service would then end until one side backs down or a court forces an end to the walkout.

The B.C. government called on ferry workers to "respect the law."

At Horseshoe Bay on Wednesday, an irate Frank Houdak faced the prospect of not being able to return to Sechelt with his father, who was in Vancouver for chemotherapy treatment.

Houdak was being calmed by police after getting into an argument.

"My frustration came out," he said. "At that time it didn’t matter what happened around me."

His father said the ferry workers should be fired.

B.C. Ferries is seeking concessions that it says are necessary to pay the $2 billion cost of 22 new ships to be built over the next 15 years.

The company also wants to contract out more services and is asking new employees to start at 70 percent of current wages, combined with general staff cuts and increased hours for others.