Transport collectif 10 December 2021

Drivers' union
pressure tactics

Last update
December 10, 1:30 p.m.

The bus drivers' union will hold 2 days of strike on December 18 and 19.

• No public transit by bus from 4 a.m. Saturday morning and 2 a.m. on Monday morning.*
• No 360 shuttle bus
• No shuttle bus for Illumi
• No shuttle bus for Place Bell

The shared taxi service will be maintained throughout the day. No connections with STL bus routes, as there will be no bus service.
The paratransit service is not affected by this strike and will be fully maintained.

* A day of operation begins at 4 a.m. and ends at 2 a.m. the following night. So all trips starting before 2 a.m. in the night from Friday to Saturday will be operated. The strike begins at 4 a.m. on Saturday and ends at 2 a.m. on Monday morning. Return to normal service at 4 a.m. on Monday, December 20.

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STL management is sorry for the inconvenience the drivers’ strike may cause.

In the event of any disruption related to the strike, the STL will unfortunately not be able to honour its Quality Commitment program. Any submitted requests will nevertheless be processed.

STL management is sorry for the inconvenience the drivers’ strike may cause. The administration is engaged to defend its customers’ and employees’ interests and will carry on with the mediation process with the firm resolve to negotiate an agreement to the satisfaction of both parties.

Other conciliation meetings are still scheduled and the STL believes a settlement will be reached through conciliation and not by actions that harm customers, making them innocent collateral victims.

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Recall the facts dating from October 1, 2021

Contrary to what was reported in the media earlier in October, Société de transport de Laval’s management is continuing negotiations in good faith with the drivers’ union. As we have always done, we are negotiating in the interest of our employees and our customers to renew work arrangements with our employees.

Moreover, we recently renewed the collective agreements for maintenance and office employees within the same financial and operational parameters that govern the renewal of the agreement with the drivers’ union.

The pressure tactics used by the drivers’ union and their threat to strike jeopardize customer service at a time when the STL is trying to revive public transit use in Laval.

Considering its limited budget due to a significant drop in ridership related to the pandemic, the STL must respect its fiscal framework. However, despite more than 20 work sessions, negotiations have reached an impasse, as both sides are unable to close the gap on certain issues.

• On September 16, 2021, the STL requested the intervention of a mediator, a process that will keep talks going to favour the signing of an agreement with the drivers’ union to the satisfaction of both parties.
• On October 15, 2021, the drivers' union sent a strike notice for Wednesday, November 3. As prescribed by law, the union made an essential services proposal, which was then negociated. It led to an agreement ratified by the Tribunal administratif du travail.
• On November 3, 2021, the drivers held a day of strike action. Only an essential service was maintained during the a.m. and p.m. rush hours and at the end of the evening.
• On November 8, 2021, two other strike notices were filed for Friday November 26 and Saturday November 27, despite a mediation session scheduled for November 11.
• On November 18, 2021, the drivers' union held pressure tactics that were deemed illegal by the STL. Among illegal actions observed was the intentional service slowdown, causing delays for at least 250 bus trips during the day.
• On November 26, 2021, the drivers’ union held a second day of strike action, reducing service during the day by approximately 50%, as on November 3.
• During the strike day on Saturday, November 27, service was completely stopped: a union decision that unnecessarily hurt Laval transit users.
• After receiving the third strike notice from the drivers’ union for Saturday, December 18, and Sunday, December 19, 2021, the Société de transport de Laval (STL) asked the union to provide at least minimum service to the public on this busy weekend. The STL’s request was rejected by the union.
• On February 11, 2022, the Société de transport de Laval (STL) submitted an arbitration proposal that was refused by the drivers’ union. It should be noted that 35 negotiation meetings and ten mediated sessions have been unsuccessful at resolving this impasse.
• On April 18, 2022, the Tribunal administratif du travail (TAT) ordered the drivers’ union to take all necessary measures to ensure that its members immediately cease the illegal pressure tactics deployed over the previous week. These actions resulted in service disruptions that led to the cancellation of some 1,000 runs affecting more than 15,000 passengers.

Laval transit users rely on bus service for their daily commute. STL management finds it unacceptable that the drivers’ union chooses to hold the public hostage by striking rather than accepting the arbitration proposal submitted in February that could resolve the current impasse.

Reviving public transit use by trying to restore ridership and revenues to the levels prior to the pandemic should be an opportunity to work with our drivers to improve the customer experience and encourage the public to choose public transit to fight against road congestion and climate change.