Montreal bus, metro drivers vote in favour of new deal with transit agency
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Article contentMONTREAL — Bus and metro drivers have voted in favour of an agreement reached with Montreal’s public transit agency as other unionized public transit workers engage in overtime strikes expected to last into the new year.Sign In or Create an AccountEmail AddressContinueor View more offersArticle contentThe union representing the 4,500 bus drivers, metro operators, and station agents — the largest of the six unions at the agency — voted on Sunday.Article contentWe apologize, but this video has failed to load.Try refreshing your browser, ortap here to see other videos from our team.Article content“Our goal was to ensure that our members are paid fairly, taking into account comparable salaries in the area, as well as the rising cost of living we are all facing, and we believe we have succeeded,” said Frederic Therrien, president of Local 1983 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, in a statement.Article contentArticle contentAs negotiations lagged, its members walked out for one day on Nov. 1, the first strike by drivers in nearly 40 years. They were prepared to strike again in mid-November before the agreement was struck.Article contentTop StoriesGet the latest headlines, breaking news and columns.There was an error, please provide a valid email address.Sign UpBy signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.Thanks for signing up!A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Top Stories will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againInterested in more newsletters? Browse here.Article contentThe dispute concerned wages, schedules, and work-life balance and the deal included a 17.5 per cent wage increase over five years.Article content“This concludes a negotiation that wasn’t easy, and we are proud of the outcome under the circumstances,” Therrien said.Article contentSeparately, 1,300 administrative and technical employees have also ratified their own tentative agreement.Article contentMarie-Claude Leonard, the CEO of the agency, has said there are limited public funds available to grant generous wage increases. She has also said the agency needs to find $56 million in savings in its budget.Article contentThe agency is still negotiating with 2,400 unionized transit maintenance workers who started refusing to work overtime last Thursday.Article contentThe refusal to work overtime is the fourth labour disruption for maintenance workers since the beginning of the year.Article contentAlso Monday, the union representing professionals, such as engineers, analysts, architects, IT consultants, planning, infrastructure, and finance departments, have announced an overtime strike, the first in their 31-year history.Article contentBoth strikes will run until Jan. 11.Article contentThis report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 15, 2025.Article contentTrending Stellantis hires 1,000 workers in Windsor as Brampton dispute continues Autos The Federal Reserve’s rate cut was a clear signal to investors Investor Garry Marr: How raiding your TFSA before the end of year could save you thousands Personal Finance Posthaste: Canada's provinces face 'deteriorating' outlook, says Fitch Ratings News McKinsey plots thousands of layoffs in consulting slowdown Work Share this article in your social networkCommentsYou must be logged in to join the discussion or read more comments.Create an AccountSign in Join the Conversation Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information. Stellantis hires 1,000 workers in Windsor as Brampton dispute continues Autos The Federal Reserve’s rate cut was a clear signal to investors Investor Garry Marr: How raiding your TFSA before the end of year could save you thousands Personal Finance Posthaste: Canada's provinces face 'deteriorating' outlook, says Fitch Ratings News McKinsey plots thousands of layoffs in consulting slowdown Work