Whistler transit operators serve 72 hour strike notice

More than 80 transit workers in Whistler have served 72-hour strike notice, saying they do the same job as bus drivers in Vancouver and Victoria and it's time to close the gap in wages.

The drivers, members of Unifor, voted in favour of job action in August but haven't been able to reach a deal on issues ranging from wages and benefits to pensions and job security.

Unifor national president Jerry Dias says increasingly unaffordable housing costs in Whistler will eventually snowball into a staffing crisis unless the drivers get a fair contract that keeps them from being priced out of the housing market.

BC Transit operates buses in Whistler and Pemberton under contract to Whistler Transit.