The union conflict at the Société de transport de Laval (STL) thickens, while the bus drivers maintain the pressure and seize the municipal council.
The STL drivers’ union demonstrated Tuesday evening in front of the city council, which was holding its first face-to-face meeting in two years, calling on elected officials about the “danger” hanging over public transit service in Laval.
Bearer of a strike mandate, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE 5959) deplores the slowness of the negotiations which have dragged on for two years without managing to renew the collective agreement yet.
“At the time of the elections, the mayor took on the posture of the mayor of the ecological transition. We are here to remind him that there is no sustainable development without public transport,” said Patrick Lafleur, president of the STL drivers union, in a press release.
“Between 2020 and 2022, in the midst of a pandemic, the cost associated with administering the STL increased by almost 20%. Who was hired and why? Instead, we should invest in making the service more reliable and efficient in order to attract more passengers,” he added.