Montreal’s blue-collar workers adopted a mandate for pressure tactics on Saturday which includes the possibility of launching an indefinite general strike.
The approximately 6,600 blue-collar workers in Montreal, represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), were called to vote at a special general meeting at the Palais des congrès de Montréal on Saturday morning.
Nearly 1,800 union members attended, and 98% voted in favour of the mandate.
In a publication written in French on Facebook, Jean-Pierre Lauzon, president of the blue-collars’ union, said wage offers currently on the table ensure the impoverishment of union members.
“After years of historic inflation, we would be irresponsible if we did not stand up for our working conditions,” he said.
In a press release issued Saturday, the union stated that its representatives were forced to leave the bargaining table on Friday because the employer showed a serious lack of respect by backing down on important commitments already negotiated and agreed upon more than five months ago.
Further bargaining sessions are planned, CUPE said, as well as a meeting next Thursday with senior management for the city of Montreal.
Work-life balance, the privatization of services to citizens, and salary offers are the main stumbling blocks in negotiations, according to CUPE.
During a press briefing, Lauzon described the salary offers as laughable and called on Projet Montréal leader and mayoral candidate Luc Rabouin, to put pressure on negotiators.
Rabouin was chosen to lead Projet Montréal after Valérie Plante announced she would not be seeking re-election as mayor in the November municipal elections.
In a statement to Radio-Canada, Rabouin said he was hoping an agreement could be reached quickly, but said that needs to happen at the negotiating table.
“We want to offer advantageous working conditions that encourage employees to stay on the job and attract talent to our teams,” he said, but an agreement would also need to “respect Montrealers’ capacity to pay.”
Montreal’s communications team and Mayor Valérie Plante’s office did not respond to Radio-Canada’s request for comment.
The blue-collar workers have been without a contract since Dec. 31, 2024 when their collective agreement expired.
