Bus drivers with the Réseau de transport métropolitain in Terrebonne-Mascouche are still far from a collective agreement, after voting 99.9% in favour of rejecting the offer by their employer, Keolis Canada, a transport multinational.
After approximately thirty bargaining meetings from March to October, the last seven of which were attended by a conciliator, the employer made a final offer on October 4, 2018. It also asked the union to have members ratify the offer at a general meeting, which took place October 20. The members’ response was crystal clear.
Drivers objected to several components of the proposed agreement, including the request by Keolis to reduce the number of employees who could take their holidays in the summer, the unfair salary increases, the lack of retroactive wages for 2018 and the wage freeze for 2019.
At the meeting, the drivers instructed their bargaining committee to resume the conciliation process and asked their mobilization committee to begin pressure tactics up to and including strike action, when the timing is right.
The 135 bus drivers have been without a collective agreement since December 31, 2017.