Even if the education sector strike continues beyond three days, the 550 crossing guards in Montreal will continue to be paid rather than finding themselves on unpaid leave, Valérie Plante’s administration now assures.
Earlier Tuesday, The Press reported that the approximately 550 crossing guards who help children cross the streets near schools every day would not be paid by the City of Montreal due to strikes in the education sector. After three days, their agreement provided that they would be on unpaid leave.
The City of Montreal said it was looking into “solutions”, but now assures that it will pay its crossing guards, whatever happens.
“There was never any question of letting the brigadiers down,” declared Alain Vaillancourt, responsible for security within Valérie Plante’s executive committee.
[Les brigadiers] are important to us, we want them to be present, we know their precarious employment situation: there was never any question of letting them down.
Alain Vaillancourt, responsible for security within the executive committee of the City of Montreal
“We will find a solution to pay [les brigadiers] if the strike goes beyond three days,” added Mr. Vaillancourt.
What will they do? Discussions are continuing with the unions on this subject, indicates Mr. Vaillancourt.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents these workers who earn around $16,000 per year, was concerned that after three days of inactivity, these workers were going to be “laid off”.
“I’m trying to fight with the City right now, but we don’t want anything to do with paying them,” declared Marie-Claude Lessard, adding that it was a decision that has no equal elsewhere in the city. Quebec.
The Plante administration’s decision to finally pay the brigadiers in the event of a prolonged conflict delights it. “We are extremely happy and my brigadiers will be reassured,” says Mme Lessard. A meeting is planned for Wednesday with the City to discuss the modalities, she specifies.
In Quebec and Trois-Rivières
The City of Quebec confirms that the crossing guards in its employ will continue to be paid, despite the indefinite general strike which will be called on November 23 by the Quebec Region Education Union (SERQ).
In Trois-Rivières, we try to offer “tasks in libraries or within community organizations,” says spokesperson Mikaël Morrissette.
Those in Montreal were originally supposed to take “storm days” for the first three days of the strike, then apply for employment insurance on Friday.
Difficult recruitment
Montreal teachers will be on an indefinite general strike from this date, but schools have been closed since Tuesday due to the Common Front strike, which includes among its ranks school staff other than teachers.
School crossing guards in the metropolis are paid $20.01 per hour. They work an average of 20 hours per week – hours split into three shifts per day – for 40 weeks per year. Most of these brigadiers are over 50 years old.
Recruitment has proven difficult in recent years, to the point that police officers from the City of Montreal Police Department have had to carry out these tasks themselves at a significantly higher hourly rate. According to the union, there is a shortage of around 70 crossing guards in Montreal.
With the collaboration of Philippe Teisceira-Lessard, The Press