CUPE 2850, the union representing administrative, technical and support staff at the Société de transport de Montréal, STM, is distressed by yesterday’s announcement that some 255 positions will be cut.
The union claims that the cuts will mainly affect its members, as the STM has promised not to reduce services to transit riders. The STM restructuring plan accounts for about 5% of the wage bill. Non-unionized, unionized, administrative and professional jobs will be affected, in particular.
“We are deeply concerned over this announcement, especially since the detailed plan has not been forthcoming. Our main objective is to minimize the impact of these changes on our members and on the services to the community,” declared Stéphane Lamont, president of CUPE 2850.
Our members are particularly angry over the fact that STM management, just two short weeks ago, mentioned that 120 jobs would be chopped and that today, twice that many will.
The union has planned a meeting with STM management for next week to discuss this restructuring plan in greater detail.
It is important that we protect not only jobs but also the quality of service to the public in spite of the financial challenges the STM has encountered. We are also mindful of the fact that we must consider this issue in a broader context, particularly with the haggling going on between Quebec and the municipalities over the funding of transit companies.