Delivery driver with Uber Eats or DoorDash, cashier in a grocery store, employee at McDonald’s or Tim Hortons, dishwasher in a restaurant… Many teachers who have been on strike for weeks and are struggling to make ends meet have swapped fractions, spelling, English or science to temporarily retrain in another field while schools reopen, noted The duty.
When we reach Guillaume Joly on the phone, the man who has been a teacher for around twenty years answers us from his car. “I was theoretically on my way to the grocery store, but I had two orders to make on the way. Now, I’m actually going to the grocery store! » says the man who temporarily converted into a delivery person for the Uber Eats platform a week ago, and who therefore collects orders from the restaurant and then leaves them with customers.
The teacher of 6e year and his wife, also a teacher, have been on an indefinite general strike since November 23. With no income, two teenagers at home and a mortgage to pay, a solution had to be found. “As we are in nothing, there are not many people who want to hire us,” he says. I had applied at Pharmaprix, at Super C to do night warehouse work, but no one wants to hire you because they don’t know when you’re going to leave. »
With just a car and a driver’s license, Uber Eats was the most convenient option. This also allows him to be present on the picket lines in the morning, adds Guillaume Joly. He makes around $20 to $22 an hour not including gas, which allows him to pay for groceries and other expenses. “It’s funny because, when I did my baccalaureate in Rimouski 22 years ago, I paid for university by doing delivery and now, I’m coming back to delivery,” he says. .
Several of her colleagues or former colleagues also deliver for Uber Eats or DoorDash, or work at the cinema and as a grocery store cashier. “There are a lot of people looking for the same thing,” he said. My partner hasn’t found it yet. This means that, currently, our salary is Uber. »
Uncertainty harms
Laurence Vachon managed to find a part-time job washing dishes in a restaurant, her only way out in a difficult financial context. “I had sent a few emails to restaurants in the neighborhood,” says the teacher from Montreal. I found an employer who was more sensitive to the cause of teachers, who understood my needs. But I also felt that there was a certain reluctance among employers to hire teachers, because they don’t want to have people who don’t stay. »
She had saved for the strike thinking, like others, that schools would be closed for a week or two. She was then forced to find another solution because she has student debt to repay, rent to pay and she needs to eat. “In my case I was lucky to find a job, but I know that this is not the case for everyone,” emphasizes the teacher.
Uncertainty is indeed a very big obstacle to the temporary hiring of teachers on strike, confirms Martin Vézina, vice-president of public and government affairs at the Association Restauration Québec (ARQ). “If an agreement in principle is reached tomorrow morning, we no longer have these employees 48 hours later,” he emphasizes. There is the uncertainty that from one day to the next, this employee may not come back. »
But some people can still make the decision to hire for a few weeks or months, in a context where there is a shortage of workers. “They say to themselves that it’s better to have someone for two weeks than to have no one,” he says. Temporary needs also emerged in December, a very busy period for restaurants. December 31 is also a very important day.
He reports that striking teachers have also obtained jobs on the service side. “Sometimes we can plan in the short term and, often, some will stay longer because it’s additional income,” he emphasizes.
The world of catering is very different from that of teaching and she “doesn’t bring anything home”, unlike her usual work, slips Laurence Vachon, who admits to finding it strange to have to do this type of work when she studied at university. She plans to keep her job for a few months, even if there is a return to class, while she recovers from the financial repercussions of the indefinite general strike. “It’s going to take me several months to get over this,” she said.
For his part, Guillaume Joly enjoys the peace and quiet of his car. “It’s calm and quiet,” he says, laughing. And if I work overtime, I get paid, it’s a big difference.”