STM strike day 2: Montreal underground businesses, taxi drivers struggle, as workers rally

Hundreds of transit workers gathered outside the Société de transport de Montréal’s (STM) headquarters at Place Bonaventure on Wednesday, demanding higher wages and an end to subcontracted work.

The demonstration began at 12 p.m. with speeches at the office entrance starting a 12:30 p.m. Lunches were handed out as drums and megaphones echoed across the street. Union workers denounced the stalled negotiations, pointing to subcontractors as the major sticking poin. The crowd chanted “solidarity” after the closing statements and began marching down Gauchetière Street.

Protesters carried a variety of signs from union banners to caricatures of Marie-Claude Léonard, STM’s Chief Executive Officer. The rally comes as STM employees stage a series of rotating strikes that will continue until Oct. 5, restricting both metro and bus service across the city.

On strike days – Mondays-Wednesdays-Fridays, the metro is limited to three time windows: 6:30 to 9:30 a.m., 2:45 p.m. to 5:45 p.m., and after 11 p.m. until closure. Bus service is also significantly reduced.

François Enault, vice-president of the Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN), addressed the ongoing negotiations in a press scrum.

“If the employers don’t understand, we have no movement, for sure we’ll increase the mobilization and the strike,” he said.

Quebec Labour minister Jean Boulet told reporters in Quebec City that he is ready to step in if both sides agree to arbitration. However, union officials rejected that option on Wednesday.

As public transportation is scaled back, the effects are being felt beyond daily commuters.

Taxi drivers

Taxi drivers said the strikes have brought them only a slight uptick in demand.

Taxi driver Mohamed Ali Enenaiatulih said he believes this is due to applications like Uber. He said he doesn’t understand why people continue to choose these alternatives, pointing out that Uber fares rise and fall with demand, unlike the fixed rates for taxis.

“Why do people go to Uber instead of taxis during the strike?” he asked.

Jagehad Assi, another taxi driver in Montreal, said he is used to seeing regular customers, but that the strikes have been bringing in some new faces.

“They take taxi because they have no choice,” he said, noting that taxis are often a last resort.

Underground business owners

At McGill station, Sebastian Le Warne, a café worker at My Little Cup Comptoir Café said the strike schedule has been “detrimental” for the business. He explained how the closure of the station from 9:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. wipes out one of their busiest rushes as a coffee shop. Le Warne said the strikes also affect tips and scheduling. As a part-time worker who would normally work until noon, he is forced to leave by 9:30 a.m. when the station shuts down. 

“The way that we can earn money is completely changed. It sucks, but I’m totally for what they’re doing. I want them to be on strike. I want them to get better conditions,” he said.

He said he has been adapting through budgeting. With no other option, he now walks 1h30 home after work.

Negotiations between the STM and the CSN have been ongoing since March 2024, with more than 100 meetings having taken place. The STM has offered a 12.5 per cent wage increase over five years, while the union is demanding more, citing inflation and job security concerns tied to subcontracting.

Unless a deal is reached, the strike will continue until Oct. 5.