STM reaches tentative deal with bus and métro drivers

The Société de transport de Montréal said on Thursday that it has reached an agreement in principle with its 4,500 bus and métro drivers.

This union is attached to the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) affiliated with the FTQ. It represents not only bus drivers and subway operators, but also ticket sellers, para-transit drivers and STM service-centre attendants.

The tentative agreement was reached Wednesday night. Details have not been made public. The union says it first wants to present it to its members for discussion and a vote. The collective agreement expired on Jan. 7.

In May, bus drivers and métro operators voted to exercise pressure tactics that could have included a strike. In recent weeks, they wore yellow T-shirts with black “respect” and “nego 2018” slogans.

Negotiations focused mostly on the tight management of bus schedules. In particular, drivers claim that the “unrealistic” schedules, which are exasperated by a plethora of construction sites, have the effect of increasing the pressure on them, causing frustration among passengers, who then let off steam against them.

Passengers also complain to drivers about the lack of buses on the road and longer waits. The STM admits it is struggling with delays and blames pressure tactics of maintenance employees.

The maintenance employees, who are affiliated with the Confédération des syndicats nationaux, have yet to reach an agreement. The main sticking point in negotiations is how overtime is handled. Postmedia News, with files from Presse Canadienne