3,000 City of Montreal professionals launch strike
Posted October 19, 2026 12:19 pm.
City of Montreal professionals began an indefinite strike on Monday and won’t work evenings, nights, or weekends. Essential services are being maintained.
The strike will take place Monday through Thursday from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m., and then from Friday at 5 p.m. to Monday at 8 a.m. However, it began at 12:01 a.m. on the night between Sunday and Monday.
They are 3,037 members of the Syndicat des professionnelles et professionnels municipaux de Montréal, a union independent of major labour federations.
They work in the city’s 19 boroughs and the majority of central services. These professionals work in information technology, libraries, communications, financial resources, planning and urban development, economic development, physical activities and sports, among other areas.
The city attempted to have the strike declared illegal, arguing that it was a disguised partial strike, but the Administrative Labour Tribunal ruled otherwise.
Last Friday evening, however, the Tribunal ruled that the list of essential services provided by the union was insufficient. It recommended changes to the services that better protect public health and safety. The union has since accepted those changes, according to its president, Anne Dorais.
“Our main focus is to really get to the administration, not the public service. We would like to get a call from the City, a bit like what was done with the blue-collar workers, to see how we could get back to the negotiating table to resolve this issue, to find a way to settle this collective agreement,” said Dorais in an interview on Monday.
The main point of contention is remuneration, but teleworking is also part of it.
A mediation phase should begin in an attempt to bring the parties closer together.
When contacted, the City of Montreal had not yet commented when this article was published.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
