Earlier this week, members of CUPE 305, which represents inside workers at the CESM, Montréal’s electrical services commission, voted 99% in favour of pressure tactics up to and including an unlimited general strike.
Since 1910, the CSEM has handled burying cable networks and projects to connect networks to buildings throughout the city.
“In over 20 years of union involvement, this is only the second time we will be applying pressure tactics and a strike mandate,” said CUPE 305 President Mathieu Guibord. “We were patient and waited for the commission to obtain its bargaining mandate, which took eight months after the previous agreement expired. Since then, it has demanded major concessions while refusing to meet our members’ priority demands, particularly about schedules and telework. The commission also says its hands are tied when it comes to the budget envelope.”
“We wanted to send a clear message to the people giving mandates to our counterparts that a total budget of 11.15% for a five-year collective agreement is completely out of touch with the reality of recent years,” added Roxane L’Abbée, CUPE national representative. “CSEM employees deserve better!”
The collective agreement for these 150 union workers expired on December 31, 2023.
With 143,000 members in Quebec, CUPE represents around 70% of all municipal employees in the province, or some 40,000 members. CUPE is also in the social services sector, communications, education, post-secondary, energy, municipal, public, air and ground transportation, mixed, marine transportation and firefighting sectors. It is the largest, FTQ-affiliated union.