Professional employees at Montreal's public transit authority have called off a planned overtime strike after negotiators reached a tentative agreement on a new contract.
Agreement Ends Labour Action
The union representing professional workers at the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) announced that its members are ending an overtime strike that began on December 17. The labour action was originally scheduled to continue until January 11.
Marc Glogowski, president of the Syndicat des employées et employés professionnels-les et de bureau local 610, confirmed the development in a statement. The union represents professional workers such as architects, engineers, and accountants employed by the transit agency.
"An agreement in principle was reached with the transit agency," the union stated, marking a potential end to a labour dispute that has lasted for more than a year of negotiations.
Details Withheld Until Union Vote
Both the union and the STM have declined to disclose the specific terms of the tentative agreement. Glogowski emphasized that no details will be made public until the proposal is formally presented to the union membership for a ratification vote.
"A meeting to vote on the new agreement will be held as soon as possible," Glogowski added. The STM echoed this position, stating it would not comment on the details at this time.
Marie-Claude Léonard, the executive director of the STM, acknowledged the compromise required from both sides. "Once again, we have reached an agreement in principle that is built on compromises by both parties and respects the established financial framework," Léonard said in a statement. "I would like to thank all the teams whose hard work made this agreement possible."
Ongoing Labour Challenges at STM
This settlement for professional staff comes as another labour group within the STM continues its own job action. Maintenance workers have been refusing overtime since December 11 in a separate strike scheduled to end on December 17.
The STM has warned that the ongoing maintenance workers' overtime ban could lead to bus shortages and service reductions on the bus network if it continues.
These strikes represent the latest in a series of job actions by various unions at the transit agency. The STM has been engaged in concurrent negotiations to secure new collective agreements with several of its employee groups, highlighting broader labour relations challenges within Montreal's public transit system.
