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Montreal’s blue-collar workers have walked off the job for a 24-hour strike, halting garbage collection and closing several municipal facilities across the city as contract negotiations remain at a standstill.
The strike took effect on Wednesday at 6 a.m. and will continue until Thursday morning. The union’s roughly 6,000 members provide a wide range of services, such as snow removal, garbage collection, road maintenance, park maintenance and water services.
During the strike, there will be no household garbage, recycling or compost collection. Some municipal facilities, including arenas, will be closed.
Those whose waste collection day is normally scheduled for Wednesday can check with their borough, or go online, to find out the next scheduled pickup.
The province’s labour tribunal, the Tribunal administratif du travail, approved an agreement reached between the city and the union representing the blue-collar workers, regarding the level of essential services to be maintained.
“The tribunal considers that, given that the strike is taking place in the middle of winter and will only last 24 hours, the absence of garbage, recycling, and compost collection does not threaten public health or safety.”
Under the agreement, services that will be maintained include snowplow operations and pothole repairs, as well as the cleaning of parks and public spaces and any water main work.
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Soraya Martinez Ferrada says the city is looking to award a contract for mechanized patching of potholes after two calls for tenders proved unsuccessful earlier in the winter.
Snow clearing and the spreading of salt and abrasives will be carried out, but only under specific conditions laid out by the labour tribunal.
Jean-Pierre Lauzon, president of the Syndicat des cols bleus regroupés de Montréal (CUPE Local 301), said patrols are going around the city to ensure “there are no dangers to citizens,” and that urgent repairs will be carried out.
Lauzon made the comments Wednesday during a demonstration outside a municipal building in the Ville-Marie borough.
“Our ultimate goal is that citizens are not held hostage and that citizens are able to move around the city safely,” he said.
Lauzon said he hopes the city will hear the blue-collar workers’ demands.
Wages a main sticking point in negotiations
Blue collar workers have been without a collective agreement since Dec. 31, 2024, with pay increase being a main sticking point.
He said the city is offering an 11 per cent increase, which Lauzon says is insufficient. He claims some union members need to work two to three jobs just to make ends meet.
“We have trouble retaining staff because we aren’t competitive in terms of wages anymore compared to other places,” he said.
Lauzon listed other grievances, including atypical work schedules that can make work-life balance difficult, budget shortfalls and working with outdated equipment, to name a few.
“Our blue-collar workers are there for garbage collection, for snow removal, they give their all, and this is how we’re thanked,” he said. “So we don’t agree.”
Lauzon said if the city refuses to budge, they could ramp up pressure tactics. Negotiations with the city are ongoing, with a meeting scheduled for Friday.
In a statement to CBC News, the city said it is “making every effort to reach a negotiated agreement as quickly as possible” that is in “the best interests of all parties and respects the financial capacity of the city and Montreal taxpayers.”