strike

Daycare strikes push local parents to private options to keep jobs

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By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

Daycare workers across Quebec ramped up pressure tactics this week, marking their 13th day of strikes since January. The dispute shows no signs of ending, pushing more parents toward costly private options.

More than 400 CPEs shut their doors over three days, forcing parents to scramble yet again for alternative childcare arrangement. The latest walkout follows a major push earlier this month that saw 8,000 striking workers flood Quebec City on April 3, demanding better wages and working conditions.

Money remains the sticking point. The government’s latest offer of 17.4 per cent over five years hasn’t satisfied workers who say they’re falling behind other public sector employees. Entry-level educators make $21.60 hourly, while some CPE staff earn as little as $18 — translating to roughly $45,000 annually when fulfilling a full-time position.

“We’re continuing the strike to reach an agreement as quickly as possible,” union representatives said earlier this week, but negotiations that started months ago remain deadlocked. The Treasury Board wants any wage hikes tied to workplace flexibility agreements, similar to deals struck with other public sector workers.

Parents are increasingly turning to private daycares, despite fees running six to seven times higher than subsidized rates. “I’m paying $65 daily now instead of $9.10,” Beaconsfield mom Sarah M. told The Suburban. “Between the strike disruptions and waitlists, I had no choice. But it’s crushing us financially.”

For many parents, the switch to private care is a desperate move to keep their jobs. “We can’t risk losing our positions because of unreliable childcare. The private fees are killing our budget, but we’re hoping it’s temporary until the public system stabilizes,” DDO resident Jamie K. told The Suburban.

The exodus to private care adds another layer to an already complex crisis. With 32,000 children on CPE waitlists and the system short 18,000 educators, many facilities operate at 80 per cent capacity. Some have shut down entire classrooms or reduced services in order to maintain basic functions.

Meanwhile, staff burnouts continues to rise. In 2022 alone, 3,000 educators left their posts while 3,200 positions remained vacant. Those who stay face mounting pressure, becoming “irreplaceable” due to the shortage and the situation has only worsened since then.

The April 3 demonstration in Quebec City marked a turning point. Workers from every region joined the march, sending a clear message about unity vis-a-vis their demands. The FSSS-CSN union, representing the workers, warned more actions could follow if talks don’t progress.

Stéphanie Vachon, speaking for the union, points to ongoing staffing shortages and mounting workloads pushing workers to the breaking point. The crisis affects more than just wages — it’s about sustaining Quebec’s daycare system.

Home daycares face additional challenges. Unlike families who can opt for cheaper meal options, these providers must maintain strict nutritional guidelines despite soaring food costs. The absorption of these increases while trying to keep services affordable is causing them to close one-by-one.

The government’s focus on building new CPE centres misses the point, critics say. “They can invest millions in concrete buildings but there is no personnel to fill those spaces. They are approaching this from the wrong angle,” FIPEQ president Valerie Gagnon explained.

Both sides returned to the bargaining table this week. Talks have picked up pace, but neither side seems ready to back down. With no resolution in sight, more families may need to brace for additional strike days ahead — and the difficult choices that come with them.

The financial threshold of the middle class family units who are paying the price in the gamble of hope for a resolution, while facing the possibility that those resolutions may not transpire as they expect hangs in the balance.

With close to 70 per cent of Québec’s population belonging to the province’s middle class, and with more than 50 per cent of parents reporting work-related issues in regards to child care services — the need for reliable daycare services during standard-core working hours is crucial, according to economic experts. n

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Montreal transit strike may be looming

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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

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Correctional officers demonstrate in Chandler

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Nelson Sergerie, LJI

CHANDLER – On May 1, correctional officers from the New Carlisle and Percé detention centres held a demonstration in front of the Bonaventure Member of the National Assembly’s office in Chandler. 

The twenty or so officers who attempted to meet with MNA Catherine Blouin denounced the Quebec government’s proposed offer of 12.7%, while most other government employees received 17.4% over five years. 

“We want to make it clear to our CAQ (Coalition Avenir Québec) elected officials that the offers are not satisfactory given our working conditions. Our collective agreement expired in 2023. We are here to 
make it clear that the 12.7% offer is not sufficient given the increase in violence and the mandatory overtime that has become commonplace. Our conditions have deteriorated significantly in recent years, and we are asking for a raise that reflects the value of the work we do,” explains Noémie Boudreau, president of the New Carlisle Detention Centre officers’ union. 

The Quebec government considers that working conditions are too high to justify a lower raise than other public sector workers. 

“The employer has many requests for a reduction in our working conditions. They are willing to increase the salary offer only if we agree to a reduction in our conditions, which is unacceptable,” warns Ms. Boudreau. 

The union does not have the right to strike or to arbitrate. Agents must be imaginative to make themselves heard, like a commercial recently aired during Canadiens playoff games. “There are approximately three meetings per week at the bargaining table. Depending on the means we use to make ourselves heard, it can move quickly or take time, but we will not neglect our efforts to reach a satisfactory settlement,” emphasizes the president. 

The union would like to conclude a new collective agreement before the summer season. 

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Concordia TAs and RAs to strike indefinitely for better working conditions

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Photo Camila Lewandowski

Hannah Scott-Talib,
Local Journalism Initiative

Following months of negotiations, CREW members are demanding increased wages and job security

Following the adoption of a pressure tactics motion on Jan. 30 and a subsequent strike mandate on Feb. 23, the Concordia Research and Education Workers Union (CREW) announced on March 9 that it will begin an indefinite strike for better working conditions starting March 12. 

The union has been in negotiations with Concordia University for a new collective agreement since the spring of 2024. 

On Jan. 30, CREW presented its new collective agreement to its membership, which lists its demands for “vital wage increases” to match inflation, a fairer workload for teaching assistants (TAs) and research assistants (RAs), better job security through indexed contract hours, and more. 

On its website, the union also writes that it is looking for “stronger protections for members who come forward to report exploitation, harassment, discrimination, or other grievances.”

CREW represents over 2,000 TAs and RAs at Concordia. The vote passed with 95 per cent in favour of the strike mandate.

With the prospect of a strike looming, a tentative agreement was offered by the university at the beginning of March. This was rejected by CREW with 66 per cent voting against it during two Special General Assemblies (SGMs) on March 6 and 8. 

As of March 12, TAs and RAs will halt their work contracts with the university in compliance with the strike. According to the CREW website, a picket line will be maintained two days a week at the Loyola campus and every weekday at the Sir George Williams campus for the entire duration of the strike. Picketing will begin as early as the first day of striking.

The website further states that starting the week of March 16, SGMs will be held every Monday to receive updates from the bargaining committee and, following March 24, receive cheques for the Professional Defence Fund (PDF). The PDF aims to financially support CREW members during times of strike or lockout. 

With no timeline given for the strike yet, CREW’s website states that the strike will end once CREW members vote to accept a tentative agreement reached with the employer.

The Link’s news editor Geneviève Sylvestre and sports editor Jared Lackman-Mincoff are teaching assistants and had no involvement in this article.

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CREW begins striking for better pay

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Photo Maria Cholakova

Maria Cholakova,
Local Journalism Initiative

The union accused the university of scabbing on day one of strikes

The Concordia Research and Education Workers Union (CREW) officially began its strike on March 12. The union is demanding that Concordia University increase the wages of its teaching assistants (TAs) and research assistants (RAs). 

On the first day of its strike, the union accused Concordia of encouraging professors to cross picket lines. 

According to Concordia spokesperson Julie Fortier, “the university has been and will continue to comply with all applicable labour legislation.”

The downtown picket line began at 8:00 a.m. and continued until 3:00 p.m. Several speakers from different Confédération des syndicats nationaux unions were present at the strike to encourage and support attendees. 

According to Jason Langford, a member of CREW’s bargaining committee, going on strike was a necessary decision that the union did not take lightly.

Stephen Gnanasihamany, one of CREW’s bargaining officers, addressed the crowd.

“The message from our members is very clear. Our members are in financial crisis,” Gnanasihamany said. “We need immediate relief in the form of an improved wage offer, and nothing else is going to cut it.”

Energy was high during the strike, with members chanting, playing songs and serving food throughout the day. 

CREW members and supporters chanted, “Graham Carr get out, we know what you’re all about,” and “Cuts, job losses, money for the bosses.” 

According to Agustin Rugiero Bader, a CREW member and part-time professor at Concordia, the university needs to respect its workers. 

“It’s very, very important that people feel supported and that they feel that they actually matter inside the community. […] Politics is always about putting your money where your mouth is,” Bader said. “I think Concordia has an opportunity to do that now. I know we’re facing decreased enrolment and things like that, but making the university more inhospitable to students and to workers is never going to be a solution.”

CREW’s strike has no end date yet. On March 13, the union will have a bargaining meeting with the university, where CREW representatives hope a deal will be reached. If bargaining is not successful, the strike will continue. 

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CREW ends strike following agreement with Concordia

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , ,

Photo Maria Cholakova

Hannah Scott-Talib,
Local Journalism Initiative

TAs and RAs to receive 20 per cent pay raise in the coming year

The Concordia Research and Education Workers Union (CREW) has ended its strike following a new collective agreement with the university ratified on March 20.

CREW had been on strike since March 12.

The agreement was presented to CREW members by the bargaining committee at a Special General Assembly on March 20, where 70 per cent of CREW membership voted in its favour. 

According to CREW’s External Affairs Officer Lauren Laframboise, the major highlight of this new agreement is that teaching assistants (TAs) and research assistants (RAs) will receive a 20 per cent pay increase by 2026. 

“That 20 per cent is sort of the result of our strike action,” Laframboise said. “The initial offer from the university had been 11 per cent, and after our strike, we got all the way up to 20 per cent, so we see that as a huge victory.”

Improved health and safety provisions, as well as provisions for paid training for CREW’s membership, are among the highlights of the agreement. Laframboise added that another important point of the agreement is a new indexation system that takes into consideration TA hours per enrolled undergraduate student. In this case, indexation refers to the value of wages being adjusted based on changes to enrolment, ensuring the university cannot undercut pay raises by shrinking CREW members’ contracts.

“One of the big problems that our members often face is that they don’t have enough hours for their contract,” she said. “Looking to the future where the university is foreshadowing all these budget cuts, we wanted to prevent a situation where they would just take money from our pay increase by cutting our hours.”

She said that this indexation serves as a foundation, giving TAs and RAs a minimum number of work hours and keeping them safe from ongoing budget cuts being made by the university.

She added that CREW’s bargaining committee have been working on this agreement for over a year, and that the agreement is set to last until its expiry date of May 31, 2026. 

“The new collective agreement really reflects the whole year’s worth of work,” Laframboise said. “We had a substantive debate last night over the agreement, but I think that people are pretty happy. […] It was a pretty decisive vote.”

According to her, despite the agreement, it won’t be long until CREW once again returns to the negotiating table.

“At this stage, we’re super happy with the gains that we’ve made in this deal, but we’re also preparing to go [back] into negotiations very soon again,” she said. 

“The rising cost of living is having a major impact on teaching assistants, who are often in a very precarious financial situation,” said Confédération des syndicats nationaux president Caroline Senneville in a CREW press release on March 21. “They owe their gains [in this agreement] to their courage and determination.”

Concordia University spokesperson Julie Fortier told The Link that the university is happy to have reached an agreement that addresses the needs of both the union members and Concordia.

Concordia’s TAs and RAs are back to work as of March 21. 

The Link’s news editor Geneviève Sylvestre and sports editor Jared Lackman-Mincoff are teaching assistants, and features editor Claudia Beaudoin is a research assistant. They had no involvement in this article.

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Daycare workers move toward an unlimited strike

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Nelson Sergerie, LJI Journalist

GASPÉ – The approximately 300 educators at CSN-affiliated early childhood centres in the Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine gathered for a general assembly on March 19 to vote on a strike mandate that could lead to an unlimited general strike. 

Educators from 12 daycare centres in the region staged their fourth and fifth strike days on March 18 and 19, following a mandate issued last fall. “The educators will discuss the steps needed following the government’s blockage regarding the renewal of the collective agreement and the improvement of working conditions,” says Serge Saint-Pierre, President of the CSN Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine Central Council. 

“We see that at the bargaining table, even though there have been discussions, nothing justifies a return to work. The workers’ minimum demands have not been met,” added the union leader. The results of this mandate will be announced nationally as soon as possible. 

The workers are demanding, in particular, a lighter workload; better compensation to ensure attraction and retention; regional disparity bonuses for employees in certain remote regions; measures to improve the quality of childcare, including clearly defined and respected ratios between the number of educators and children, as well as better support for children with special needs. “Our first three days of strike action weren’t enough to make the government see reason. The region’s childcare workers are therefore going to raise their voices with a new strike mandate. Every time we take action, we make progress at the bargaining table. We continue to make our voices heard for the future of childcare centres,” says Katie Leblanc, Vice-President of the Baie à Maria Childcare Workers’ Union. 

The workers had issued strong strike mandates last October and November in the region.  According to the CSN, the average salary for a childcare worker is $29 per hour.  In addition to the strikes of March 18 and 19, previous strikes took place in January and February 

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CPE workers strike again

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , ,

Nelson Sergerie, LJI Journalist

GASPÉ – Approximately 300 educators in Gaspé Peninsula and Magdalen Islands, affiliated with the CSN, striked again on February 6 to activate the renewal of the collective labour agreement that expired on March 31, 2023. 

Parents whose children attend one of the 12 Early Childhood Centres (CPEs) once again needed to make alternative arrangements. 

This marks the second day of strike action out of five adopted last fall. “Unfortunately, the discussions have not progressed enough for the strike movement across Quebec to be put on hold,” commented Serge Saint-Pierre, President of the CSN’s Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine Central Council. 

“We’re a little fed up with the government’s refusal to respond to our demands,” continued Mr. Saint-Pierre. 

The workers are pushing for a lighter workload, higher pay to improve attraction and retention, regional disparity bonuses for employees in certain remote regions, and measures to improve the quality of services for children, including clearly defined and respected ratios between the number of educators and children, as well as better support for children with special needs. 

The other unions representing educators have settled with the Quebec government. “The demands between the other unions and the government and the CSN and the government are completely different. We’re asking for even more. I remind you that the ultimate goal of our demands is to retain and attract workers in the province’s early childhood centres. We consider our demands to be essential elements in attracting and retaining workers in CPEs,” explains Mr. Saint-Pierre. 

The next step has not yet been determined. “It will always be about what happens at the negotiating table. If after Thursday’s strike, things get moving, we will see if it satisfies the negotiating committee. The committee has a mandate to demand certain things. If the committee judges that it is not enough to stop the mobilization or to delay it or put it on hold, the committee may decide whether or not to continue the strike,” specifies Mr. Saint-Pierre. 

It is too early to discuss the possibility of an indefinite general strike. 

In total 13,000 educators across Quebec, affiliated with the CSN will be participating in the strike. 

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Striking ConU students and staff protest tuition hikes

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Photo Andraé Lerone Lewis

Iness Rifay
Local Journalism Initiative

On March 13, around 400 Concordia students, faculty and staff gathered on the corner of Mackay and De Maisonneuve Street to the sound of upbeat tunes, clanking pots and pans, and the croak of trombones and trumpets. 

On that same date, over 22,000 students across various student associations were on strike from their classes, with hard-picketing measures enforced all throughout the Hall building as well as on Loyola campus. The strike officially started on March 11 and is set to end by March 15. However, some departments have discussed an unlimited general strike.

Under the afternoon sun, volunteers coated Mackay with red paint reading “Free education” in light of the Coalition Avenir Québec imposed hikes, which exclusively target anglophone universities in the province. 

Dominik Séguin, one of the volunteers and a third-year student in the English literature program, believes the implementation of the hikes is only the first step in a series of other “discriminatory measures.” 

“What’s to stop [Premier François] Legault from making more laws that affect anglophones, or any other group?” said Séguin, while swiping her red-stained paintbrush on the concrete. “If people are leaving after their education, I can guarantee you it’s because they don’t feel welcome here.” 

Quebec’s minister of higher education Pascale Déry argues in favour of the hikes, saying that out-of-province students and international students leave the province after their studies and that the new increase “better reflects what it costs to educate a university student.” 

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Tuition strikes: student mobilization underway

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This graphic is incomplete, check in with your association on current strike status. Graphic Panos Michalakopoulos

Maria Cholakova
Local Journalism Initiative

In the past two weeks, the Arts and Science Federation of Associations (ASFA) and fellow student associations at Concordia have been mobilizing students to vote, attend general assemblies, spread the word and encourage students to protest the Quebec government’s tuition hikes. 

According to Angelica Antonakopoulos, the academic coordinator at ASFA, this is a crucial time for the student movement to come together in a university-wide strike. 

“[Striking] places a lot of economic stress on the government because the government subsidizes education in Quebec […]So if you’re placing this imminent threat of cancelling a semester, the government will have to re-subsidize the students that got held back while also subsidizing a new cohort of students coming in,” Antonakopoulos said. 

She continued to explain that apart from the government having to re-invest funds, strikes are withholding an entire group of students from graduating and entering the workforce, which would have a significant effect on the economy.

Currently, 14,524 students  are striking from March 11 to 15. In the upcoming days, five associations (Urban Planning Association, Concordia Association Psychology Association, Concordia Religion Student Association, Political Science Student Association, Sustainability and Diversity Student Association) are holding GAs for students to vote on striking. 

However, getting students to mobilize has been a challenge, according to Antonakopoulos.

“Nowadays, especially post-COVID, it’s really difficult to convince folks to do anything outside the immediate scope of their academic affairs,” she said. 

Antonakopoulos added that Concordia hasn’t been too open to the idea of students striking. 

“Concordia has done a very elegant job at making any disruption to regular academic life seem like the end of the world, which is why a lot of students are very wary toward striking,” she said. 

However, ASFA is not backing down. According to Antonakopoulos, a demonstration during the striking week is being planned, alongside some of the smaller, independent actions that will be occurring within Concordia, like a picketing workshop on March 6 and March 8 on the seventh floor of the Hall Building. 

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