86% of STM maintenance staff vote in favour of collective agreement

Workers are seen inside the Societe de transport de Montreal (STM) Frontenac Transportation Centre in Montreal on Monday, Sept. 22, 2025. A transit strike by the maintenance workers is expected to limit service to morning and evening rush hours on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press)

Maintenance staff at Montreal’s public transit agency have finally ratified the agreement reached through conciliation to renew their collective agreement, with 86 per cent voting in favour.

The union represents 2,400 maintenance workers at the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) and is part of the Fédération des employées et employés de services publics, affiliated with the CSN.

The conciliator’s proposal, which the union recommended to its members, came after four strikes: one in June 2025, another in September and October, another one in November, and the last one was in December and January. These strikes took various forms, sometimes a traditional strike with essential services during peak hours, and sometimes a refusal to work overtime.

The negotiations were very protracted, lasting no less than two years. There was an initial conciliation phase, followed by mediation, then a second conciliation phase, which led to this agreement on March 24.

The dispute centred on the use of subcontractors and pay. Faced with financial difficulties, the STM is seeking to cut costs. The union, for its part, is keen to protect its members’ jobs and the public service that is public transport.

The STM has reached agreements with the three other largest unions, which are local branches of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) and the Syndicat des employé(e)s professionnel(le)s et de bureau (SEPB), both affiliated with the FTQ.

They represent the 4,500 bus drivers and metro operators, the 1,300 administrative and technical staff, and the 800 professionals.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on April 27, 2026.