Gateway Paying Sub-standard rate to truckers
11/17/09
Gateway Paying Sub-standard rate to truckers
Photo CC http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattclare/
Interesting item, seems like Kiewit is pressuring truckers to accept sub-standard rates for Gateway work. And they may take job action.
Sub standard trucking rates are often linked to sub-standard maintenance, increasing the safety hazard to the public. The race to the bottom continues:
VANCOUVER — British Columbia’s gravel truck drivers could stage a work stoppage if low rates paid for work on the Port Mann Bridge aren’t raised, the Teamsters Union said Friday.
The going rate per hour for a gravel truck and trailer has been about $124, said Don McGill, president of the B.C. Teamsters Union, which represents about 1,000 independent truck owners.
But Peter Kiewit Sons Co. — which along with Flatiron Constructors Canada has a fixed-price contract of $2.46 billion to build the bridge and do related work — is only paying $85 an hour, McGill said.
That’s not enough to cover the maintenance of the trucks involved and that means some trucks could be unsafe, he said.
Trucks in B.C. are already notoriously unsafe. In a blitz earlier this year, the Delta police department’s commercial vehicle enforcement unit found that 41 per cent of 535 vehicles inspected were unsafe.
A similar surprise inspection in West Vancouver ordered 25 of 74 commercial vehicles off the road.
Those failure rates of 41 per cent and 34 per cent, respectively, are much higher than the national average of 18.2 per cent.
McGill fears that statistic will only get worse if drivers are forced to accept lower rates.
[snip]
Full text at http://www.vancouversun.com/business/gravel+truck+drivers+threaten+stop+work/2220998/story.html
Trackback address for this post:
http://www.livableregion.ca/blog/blogs/htsrv/trackback.php/843
Comments, Trackbacks, Pingbacks:
No Comments/Trackbacks/Pingbacks for this post yet...
Leave a comment:
Administrivia
604-736-7732
Search
The Livable Blog
Our goal as the Livable Region Coalition (LRC) is to provide a voice for those who believe that efficient and sustainable transportation is a cornerstone for the future of the Lower Mainland. We believe that through creating attractive transportation choices, encouraging urban density, and preserving green space and agricultural land, we can make our communities better places to live and grow.
We believe that the provincial government's strategy to pursue excessive development through the Gateway project is detrimental to the well-being of Greater Vancouver. The Gateway project's stated goals of reducing pollution and congestion will not materialize. Evidence for this comes from many sources. Instead, we advocate real solutions that will actually work and will be less expensive.
Categories
- All
- Agricultural Land Reserve (120)
- BC Politics (279)
- Energy (63)
- Alternative Energy (12)
- Hydro (8)
- Oil & Gas (95)
- Environment (357)
- Gateway (365)
- Delta Port Expansion (53)
- Port Mann Twinning (143)
- South Fraser Perimeter Road (100)
- Humour (16)
- Lifestyle (46)
- Livable Region (212)
- Our Changing World (25)
- P3's (27)
- Transportation (233)
Links
Other Groups
- Against Port Expansion
- Best Environmentally Sound Transportation (BEST)
- Gateway Sucks
- Save Delta
- SmartGrowthBC
- Stop Gateway
- The David Suzuki Foundation
- The Livable Region Coalition
- The Society Promoting Environmental Conservation (SPEC)
- VTACC - Voters Taking Action on Climate Change
- WERA---West End Residents Association
Government Sites
Take Action!
- Better Transit, Not Freeways online petition
- Other ways to get involved
- Join the Livable Region Coalition
- Post comments on this site or other sites stating your opinion
- Write a letter to the editor of the Vancouver Sun, the Province, or any other local paper
- Leave a comment on this blog.
- Tell the BC Government what you think
Related Blogs
- Betty Krawczyk
- Beyond Robson
- Bob Broughton, about BC Politics
- Cut and Cover
- Gord Price---Price Tags
- Rob's Ramblings
- Stephen Rees's Blog
- Streetsblog
- Streetsblog
- The Daily Score - Sightline Institute
- The Oil Drum
- The South Fraser Blog
- The Tyee
- VALTAC --- Valley Transit Authority Committee
- Zero Waste Vancouver
Posting Guidelines
-
We expect that you will post an intelligent and civil comment that is on topic and fosters positive discussion. We reserve the right to remove comments if they do not follow these guidelines.
Archives
- March 2010 (5)
- February 2010 (10)
- January 2010 (11)
- December 2009 (15)
- November 2009 (5)
- October 2009 (11)
- September 2009 (16)
- August 2009 (8)
- July 2009 (15)
- June 2009 (9)
- May 2009 (15)
- April 2009 (24)
- More...
XML Feeds
What is RSS?
Who's Online?
- Guest Users: 23
powered by
