STM bus drivers ready to strike, says union president

The STM’s 4,500 bus drivers and metro operators are indeed considering a strike “as a last resort,” having not walked off the job in nearly 40 years.

The last strike by bus drivers and metro operators at the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) dates back to 1987. Maintenance employees have walked off the job twice this year.

In an interview Wednesday, Frédéric Therrien, president of the affected local of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), affiliated with the FTQ, stated that currently, “we would be the lowest-paid drivers in a major city in Quebec, if you look at Longueuil, Laval, or Quebec City.

“We would be the lowest-paid, and we find it makes no sense,” he said.

On Tuesday, the union launched a billboard campaign warning the public: “Buses and metro soon on strike. Thank you, STM.”

Therrien assures that his members have little desire to go that far, but they will if negotiations don’t progress more smoothly.

He declined to comment on whether a possible strike would take place in October or November, or whether it would last one day, one week, or be indefinite.

Negotiations with the STM are continuing, with four days of “intensive meetings” scheduled for this week, according to the STM.

In a statement to CityNews, the STM says it believes the parties have already reached agreement on several points.

“STM is fully committed to reaching an agreement with the union as soon as possible,” a spokesperson said. “It is important to note that this collective agreement negotiation is taking place in a unique context, where STM is facing an unprecedented and difficult financial situation, requiring cost-efficiency. This was clearly demonstrated by the performance audits conducted by the MTMD (Quebec Transport Ministry) last year.”

But the impatience of members is beginning to show, the union leader reports, following the wearing of orange t-shirts, buses being parked outside the garage rather than in it, and other measures that did not affect customers.

CityNews spoke with locals about how they feel about the impending strike.

“Disappointed, or just annoyed,” said one local. “I get why they’re on strike but it’s just really hard for us.”

“We’ll have to adapt, we have no choice, but it’s okay I understand, they have the right to claim what’s theirs and I respect that,” said another.

Some worry the strike could affect their work.

“Because I work downtown and I need the metro to go to work and also my clientele need to use the metro, that impacts me and my business,” said another.

“I feel like we are hostages, so ya they should try something else,” added another.

“At the end of the day, I understand that they have to defend themselves if the situation is not right, but I think there’s another way to do it, instead of impacting the society that is behind them,” said another.

–With files from La Presse Canadienne