Bus drivers with the Société de transport de Sherbrooke (STS), members of CUPE 3434, gathered in front of Sherbrooke City Hall last evening, as municipal councillors were set to decide whether to grant additional financial support to the Société de transport de Sherbrooke (STS) during their evening meeting.
Just last June, the STS announced they would lay off twenty bus drivers, following provincial budget cuts. Since that time, ten of them have been rehired.
The mobilization was organized to highlight for municipal councillors and managers of the STS, the impact of budget cuts and underfunding that jeopardize public transit in the region, and to encourage them to make the right decision.
“Behind the numbers, there are people. They are not just statistics. They represent close to 5.9 million transit rides a year. They are workers who earn their living, students who use transit to get to class, your children who go to day camp, seniors who depend on transit to remain independent, newcomers who take part in their community, people with reduced mobility, residents who are reducing their environmental footprint, and people for whom the automobile is simply not an option,” said Maxime Leroux, CUPE 3434 president, during his speech to council.
Unfortunately, the City of Sherbrooke chose to maintain the status quo, knowing full well that in the context of underfunding, the status quo means going backwards and cuts to public transit services.
CUPE would like to remind councillors of the importance of protecting and developing public transit, and the union is sending a clear message to decision makers: public transit is an essential service that deserves adequate and ongoing funding, especially in the context of a cost-of-living crisis and an environmental crisis.
The union will continue to mobilize and take steps to ensure that elected officials take appropriate measures to ensure the sustainability and development of the transit network.
