My Alerts With a new overtime strike by maintenance employees starting on August 18, the STM desires to inform its clients of the potential impacts of this union action and provide advices to help them get aroung during that period.
Montréal, August 16, 2018 – To break the deadlock in negotiations surrounding the renewal of its maintenance employees’ collective agreement, the STM submitted a request for a government mediator on August 15. Despite this request, the maintenance employees union has decided to trigger a second overtime strike, to begin on August 18. During the strike, planned for August 18 to September 16, maintenance employees will work no overtime beyond their normal 40-hour workweek.
The parties are currently in a hearing before the Tribunal administratif du travail, with a view to agreeing on the essential services that must be maintained during the strike. The STM wants to keep the effects of the strike for its transit users to a minimum.
Potential impact
As the weeks go by, the impact will be felt mainly by users of the bus system, especially seeing that the consequences of a similar strike, held from May 6 to 12, are still tangible. The strike will mean service reductions on certain lines. The STM’s transit system is already under high pressure during the late summer and early fall. The impact could continue to be felt even after the end of the overtime strike, given the backlog of work that will have to be done. The one-week strike in May deprived transit users of over 500 hours of peak-period service and obliged the STM to keep 57 buses in the garage that should have been on the road.
There are no safety issues for the STM’s clients. The Society has agreed with the union that specific jobs involving the safety of clientele, facilities and equipment will be protected during the temporary strike action.
Information for transit users
It is impossible to identify in advance the lines or sectors that could be affected, as all of the bus garages are involved, but the STM encourages its users to consult the available customer information tools on a regular basis to plan their trips. The most up-to-date information about bus schedules via geolocation is available on the STM’s beta site and beta mobile site, as well as via the Transit and Chrono apps.
-30-
Medias@stm.info
