Coast Mountain Bus Company's heart seems to have grown three times larger, because it announced today that it will allow Kirk Rockwell to wear his Santa Claus outfit on the job.
Just a day after Rockwell came forward that TransLink defended his supervisor’s decision to take off the Santa suit, after 16 years of wearing it for the season, the authority is going to let the driver spread his cheer.
"I've never had a problem with passengers," Rockwell told the NOW in a previous interview. "It makes me feel good. I've had burly construction guys at 6 o'clock in the morning all of a sudden want a picture taken with me because they think it's the coolest thing on earth."
Rockwell said he received a letter from his supervisor on Dec. 2, asking him to take off his Santa Claus suit while he operated the bus.
"This is what I do," he said at the time. "I enjoy it, it makes me feel good. My ideal is that if I do something good, and I make somebody feel happy or better that person could go do something happy for someone else. It has a ripple effect."
Rockwell also decorates his bus before a shift and then takes the decorations down when his shift is over.
Nathan Woods, CAW 111 union president, said TransLink rescinded Rockwell's ability to wear the suit out of nowhere.
"He's sort of been a rebel without a Claus, that's his term," he said. "But he has worn his Santa suit up until today (Dec. 11). I don't know what he's going to do tomorrow (Dec.12)."
What Rockwell did was challenge his employer by showing up to work in his Santa Claus uniform - he expected disciplinary action, but was instead allowed to carry on.
On Dec. 11, TransLink spokesperson Derek Zabel said the transit authority had changed its policy in regards to what drivers can wear on the job.
"All operators need to be identified to the public," he said. "Over the years, we've had a number of requests from operators to wear uniforms and various things. The policy change makes it fair and consistent."
But that tune quickly changed after the news that Santa couldn't wear his suit broke out. Rockwell's story was met with a public outcry - calling the decision Scrooge- and Grinch-like.
Thursday morning, Stan Sierpina, Coast Mountain Bus Company's vice president of operations, said on the Bill Good Show that they heard what their customers had to say and would allow Rockwell to wear his Santa suit on the job after all.
The NOW was not able to get a comment from Rockwell before press deadline as he was busy being Santa.
