June 24 | Health alerts, home porting and hard questions
A midweek update after a busy week, weekend and the start of another full one.
Health alert
The BCCDC has confirmed there was a measles exposure on the Coastal Celebration on June 20. You can find more info on their website.
Island class
We continue to press for home porting on Route 6, with one vessel based on Salt Spring Island and the other on Vancouver Island. I’ve made some headway with local community groups and had an op-ed published in The Driftwood.
Local engagement
Over the weekend, Locals 2 and 12 held a summer kickoff BBQ in Nanaimo. Great to see folks connecting and celebrating together.
New major vessels
The big news last week was BC Ferries’ decision to build the new major vessels in China. That sparked a wave of media interest—I’ve done more than a dozen interviews so far.
Some members may be wondering why this matters. At its core, it’s about accountability. BC Ferries is a private company spending public money, with zero public oversight. We deserve better—clearer standards, fair procurement rules and a shipbuilding strategy that keeps public dollars working here at home.
We made enough noise that the premier has invited us to a labour roundtable later this week in Vancouver.
National and international updates
Our ITF Ferry Task Force co-chair, Dan Kimmerly, will be representing us at the ITF Canada coordinating meeting this week. And at the national level, I’m pleased to report that NUPGE incumbents—President Bert Blundon and Treasurer Jason MacLean—were re-elected two weekends ago.
What’s next
Next week, our Ships’ Officers Component President Capt. Chris Klassen and I will meet with WorkSafeBC. We’re also deep into bargaining prep for BC Ferries. It’s shaping up to be a tough round of negotiations later this summer.
With Canada Day on Tuesday, I know it’ll be a busy and likely very long weekend for many of you. Until next time, take care of yourselves and each other.
In solidarity,
Eric McNeely
Provincial President
BC Ferry & Marine Workers’ Union
