By Dan Laxer
The Suburban

Could Montreal be facing an all-out transit strike?

The 2,400-strong STM maintenance workers – represented by the Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN) – voted 97 percent in favour of a strike mandate. This could mean, at some point, an unlimited general strike.

“STM maintenance workers are ready to mobilize,” says Dominique Daigneault, president of the CSN’s Conseil central du Montréal métropolitain. “The STM must move up a gear and issue mandates so that negotiations can move forward if it wants to avoid a strike. For the good of users, we must improve working conditions and rely on public expertise.”

The union represents mechanics and other staffers who maintain the bus and Métro service. It has been negotiating with the STM for almost a year with little progress, said a statement by the union. It has been asking the STM to rein in outsourcing and privatization. The employees also want a better work-life balance, and the union is asking for measures to attract and retain workers. At last Sunday’s general assembly they voted to increase pressure tactics to strengthen their position at the bargaining table.

Bruno Jeannotte, President of the Syndicat du transport de Montréal–CSN, says the STM doesn’t seem willing to move forward in negotiations. “The STM runs every day thanks to the expertise of its maintenance employees. The employer must stop using subcontractors and must work with us to improve our working conditions and salaries. We are seeing more and more people leaving for other sectors. We need to reverse the trend as quickly as possible.”

The STM, the union points out, recently announced job cuts and more subcontracting for adapted transport. It also called out the Legault government for refusing to increase public funding for public transit.

“These negotiations are taking place in a complex context,” says Simon Mathieu Malenfant, VP of Fédération des employées et employées de services publics. “The government and transport companies are passing the buck for funding public transport. Another path is possible: investing in public transport to promote the ecological transition and preserve sustainable jobs.”

In an email to The Suburban, the STM pointed out that an agreement between it and the union expired last January 5. “The STM is doing everything possible to avoid such a situation and will actively continue discussions at the negotiating table. In the event of a strike,” it added, “the STM will communicate the potential impacts to customers in advance and in real time via its customer information tools.” n