Late in the day Tuesday, a tentative agreement was reached to renew the collective agreement of the some 750 Réseau de transport de Longueuil (RTL) bus drivers. They will be invited to a general meeting on June 16, where they will find out more about the contents of the agreement, which will then be voted on by secret ballot.
Out of respect for its membership, the union will not be commenting on this agreement before the meeting is held.
RTL bus drivers have been without a collective agreement since January 1, 2017. They are members of CUPE 333. On June 4, 2017, they voted 98% in favour of a mandate to go on strike when the timing was right.
Since the summer of 2017, drivers have been reporting for work wearing T-shirts and orange sweaters bearing the slogan, “Le service aux usagers, notre priorité” (Service to users is our priority). The objective was to remind people that their main demand concerned trip times.
In the spring of 2018, they resorted to pressure tactics, targeting the employer’s administrative structure, while maintaining service to users.
With close to 116,000 members in Quebec, CUPE represents some 7,270 members in land transportation in Quebec. CUPE is also present in the following sectors: social affairs, communications, education, universities, energy, municipalities, Crown Corporations and public organizations, air transportation, the mixed sector and the maritime transportation. It is the largest union affiliated with the FTQ.