STM bus drivers and metro operators threaten to strike again on Nov. 15 and 16, after complete transit shutdown Saturday
Posted November 1, 2025 12:38 pm.
Last Updated November 1, 2025 5:58 pm.
Bus drivers and metro operators are threatening to strike again on Nov. 15 and 16 if no progress is made at the negotiating table.
“One thing is clear, and we want to get the message across: we are in solution mode, but now the solution will not come at no cost,” explained Frédéric Therrien, president of Local 1983 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), at a press conference in front of the Palais des congrès de Montréal on Saturday morning.
Therrien acknowledged that the strike, which lasted all day Saturday, was not unanimously supported by the public, but explained that this pressure tactic was also intended to protect the public’s right to quality public transportation.
A Montreal resident said the complete lack of transit option was making lives difficult: “We rely on the bus, we rely on the metro. Everyone can’t just take a bike, okay the bike is a good thing but it’s not enough. Transit is the heart of the city. I’m really upset actually.”
“Not providing services in Montreal, we know that it causes congestion and that people will not be happy with the situation, but we had reached that point,” he said, adding that many other pressure tactics had been used in the past to avoid any impact on service to the public.
“It’s important for the public to know that we are fighting for them today as well. We are not only fighting for our wages, but also for the quality of public transit in Montreal,” explained Therrien.
The CUPE president pointed to the underfunding of public transit by the City of Montreal and the Quebec government.
“To all those who say we are holding them hostage, I would say that it is much more the CAQ government that has decided to hold them hostage,” he said. “We are still the ones suffering from the problem of public transit funding.”
Patrick Gloutney, president of SCFP-Quebec, also blamed the provincial government for the insufficient funding.
“Why are we here today? It’s because of the governments. The CAQ government—we’ve been working within our ranks for over three years to ask the government to put money on the table,” Gloutney said.
Another Montrealer expressed support for the union and hoped that the impasse is broken, “I would just like things to go well for them and for things to be over before the 28 days.”
CUPE reported that nearly 3,000 protesters gathered on Saturday morning outside the Palais des congrès, where the Canadian Urban Transit Association’s annual conference and public transit trade show are being held.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
