Hullo Fast Ferries workers are lodged in a contract dispute with their employer. (File photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Ian Holmes

Choppy labour waters

Unionized Hullo Ferries workers obtain strong strike mandate

Sep 2, 2025 | 3:04 PM

NANAIMO — Workers employed on the fast-ferry service between Nanaimo and Vancouver voted 91 per cent in favour of strike action.

A Tuesday, Sept. 2 news release from the BC Ferry & Marine Workers Union (BCFMWU) relayed the overwhelming strike mandate following voting among the union membership on the weekend.

The union stated it has scheduled a meeting for the bargaining unit’s nearly 80 members for Wednesday evening to discuss voting results and next steps.

Union president Eric McNeely noted their members have been waiting nearly a year for a contract.

“Ferry travel requires moving people safely through terminals, navigating busy shipping lanes, safety drills, emergency response and ship maintenance to ensure hundreds of people get across the strait safely every day. That professionalism deserves respect in their first agreement,” McNeely stated.

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The union can legally strike 72 hours after providing written notice.

Voting for strike action by the fast ferry workers closed on Tuesday at 12 p.m., according to a statement from the union to NanaimoNewsNOW.

Voting results followed word from the BCFMWU of an impasse in contract negotiations nearly a year after Hullo employees voted to join the BCFMWU.

The union recently stated Hullo Ferries declared an impasse, noting the company only made one counter proposal, leading to a strike vote over the long weekend.

While not specifying demands for its members, McNeely earlier stated its union has been advocating for improved wages, schedules, work-life balance and job stability on behalf of Hullo Ferries workers.

Hullo Ferries (Vancouver Island Ferry Company) provides daily passenger-only downtown-to-downtown service linking Nanaimo and Vancouver in roughly 70 minutes, and debuted in August 2023 to much fanfare.

The private company recently reported a 40 per cent growth in year-over-year passenger numbers from last year to this year.

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