The Société de transport de Montréal (STM) is facing an imminent overtime strike during the upcoming holiday season as professional staff represented by the Union of Professional and Office Employees, Local 610 (SEPB-610), have issued a strike notice to Quebec’s Administrative Labour Tribunal.
Approximately 800 professionals are set to participate in the strike from Dec. 17 to Jan. 11. Benoit Tessier, Vice-President of SEPB-610, expressed dissatisfaction with the situation, stating that the employer’s actions threaten the trust between management and staff. He emphasized that the strike is just the initial step, with potential for further actions in the coming year if negotiations remain unproductive.
The union’s decision to strike comes after a resounding 91% of members supported a strike mandate during a vote in mid-November. Talks between SEPB-610 and STM management have reached an impasse, with the main point of contention revolving around job-security protections for permanent professional staff. Tessier highlighted the importance of these protections, particularly in ensuring the professionals’ ability to prioritize public safety over economic considerations.
SEPB-610 argues that beyond job security, the issue at hand is intertwined with the ethical responsibility of its members, who include engineers and architects, to uphold the safety and reliability of public transit services. Tessier emphasized the need for collaborative and concrete negotiations, noting that this is the first time in the union’s 31-year history that a strike has been deemed necessary.
Representing professionals across various STM departments, including planning, engineering, architecture, law, and more, SEPB-610 stresses the critical role its members play in urban mobility planning and maintaining essential transit infrastructure.
