RTL drivers’ strike planned for Sept. 9: parties in conciliation
Posted September 4, 2025 3:31 pm.
Last Updated September 4, 2025 3:34 pm.
The two parties were in conciliation on Thursday, hoping to avoid the bus drivers’ strike announced for next Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday on public transit on Montreal’s South Shore.
Other meetings are planned between now and then, if necessary, between the Réseau de transport de Longueuil (RTL) and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), affiliated with the FTQ, which represents the 714 bus drivers.
On Wednesday, both parties were heard by the Administrative Labour Tribunal on the issue of essential services to be maintained if the strike does go ahead next Tuesday.
The Tribunal’s decision will be handed down shortly. Its role is to ensure that the health or safety of the public is not endangered by a labor dispute.
Union members voted almost unanimously, at 99.03 per cent, in favour of a mandate to take pressure measures, including strike action.
The collective agreement expired on Dec. 31. Around 40 negotiation meetings have taken place between the parties.
Union president Marc Gingras said last week that several clauses had been settled in the negotiations, but that there was still a “deadlock” on the issue of wages with the RTL. “We refuse to make concessions that would impoverish our members and reduce their purchasing power,” he said.
When asked to comment on this aspect of the wage dispute, RTL management declined to comment. “We will not comment on this issue in order to respect the ongoing negotiation process.”
The RTL is the third largest public transit company in Quebec. It serves Longueuil, including the boroughs of Saint-Hubert and Greenfield Park, as well as Boucherville, Brossard, Saint-Lambert, and Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville. It operates 152 bus routes.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
