Transco school bus drivers still on strike

The teachers strike may be over but 15,000 children are still affected by the school bus drivers strike at Transco in Montreal.

The strike has been ongoing for nearly three months.

It was called on Oct. 31 by the union representing 350 drivers employed by Autobus Transco.

English Montreal and Lester B. Pearson School boards, as well as Marguerite-Bourgeoys are among those affected.

The main issue: salaries.

The Quebec government has already granted additional financial assistance to the school bus companies to help them improve salaries, compensate for higher rents, increased insurance costs and the electrification of the bus fleet.

However, the two parties do not agree on what portion of this additional aid from Quebec should be paid to drivers.

Claude Breton, spokesman for Autobus Transco, stated the employer offered a 20 per cent increase for the first year and 33 per cent for the six-year contract, but the union rejected it.

Carole Laplante, president of the union, confirmed the rejection and claimed that the increases are insufficient because Transco gave more to their other drivers elsewhere.

“We’re going with the employer’s ability to pay. It’s really not enough. In all his other divisions, he gave between 46 and 52 or 53 per cent, so why should we be lower? I don’t understand,” she replied.

Breton replied that Transco gave their highest offer.

“At 33 per cent, we’ve already stretched the elastic enormously. There’s no way of going any further without affecting the financial viability of the agreements.”

According to Breton, Transco offered to submit the dispute to an arbitrator, a neutral third party who would have made a decision but the union refused.

“We still have to fight. We’re ready to negotiate again,” said Laplante.

The dispute will probably be brought to the Labour Administrative Tribunal, since the union has filed complaints of obstruction and bad faith bargaining against the employer.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Jan. 17, 2024, and translated by CityNews.