CUPE 2850, The Syndicat du personnel administratif, technique et professionnel du transport en commun, adamantly opposes the actions of Société de transport de Montréal (STM) senior management.
“What is the STM thinking? The STM eliminated 300 jobs, informing the employee representative only minutes before the public announcement, even though the parties were sitting across from each other in mediation. This is a flagrant lack of transparency and respect for workers,” said Stéphane Lamont, president of CUPE 2850. “Scheduled to take effect in 2026, these cuts are causing our members a great deal of anxiety by forcing them into total uncertainty.”
Bargaining table discussions broke down notably over the employer’s disappointing wage offers and requests for major rollbacks, mainly in terms of job security.
“The right direction would be to offer wage conditions that foster staff recruitment and retention, rather than wasting public money. Subcontracting costs in Quebec have skyrocketed. Scandals like SAAQclic are a telling example. It is clear that, by cutting jobs, the STM is moving to privatize a portion of the work. And yet, work done in house is the best guarantee of sound management,” concluded the local president.
Data from May 2025 show that 1,800 people currently work as subcontractors for the STM network.