As the crisp November air settles over Montreal, an increasingly tense standoff between transit workers and the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) has turned the city’s morning commute into a political battleground.
For the third consecutive day, Montrealers awoke to silent metro stations and empty bus shelters, forcing nearly 1.4 million daily riders to find alternative ways to navigate Canada’s second-largest city. The strike has transformed downtown streets into parking lots and neighborhood sidewalks into impromptu carpool meetup points.
“I’ve been taking the metro for 22 years,” says Claudine Beaumont, a hospital administrator who now walks 40 minutes to work. “This isn’t just about buses not running. It’s about testing whether workers still have the right to meaningful job action in Quebec.”
What makes this transit shutdown particularly significant isn’t just its scale but its timing. The work stoppage marks the first major labour disruption since Quebec’s controversial Bill 35 took effect last spring, which expanded the definition of “essential services” to include most public transit operations.
The legislation, championed by Premier François Legault’s government, requires that transit unions maintain between 60-80% of normal service levels during any strike action. Union leaders have challenged these provisions as fundamentally undermining their collective bargaining rights.
STM workers’ union president Jean-François Lalonde didn’t mince words when addressing supporters yesterday outside Lionel-Groulx station. “This is about more than our contracts. It’s about whether Quebec respects the constitutional right of workers to withdraw their labour when negotiations fail.”
The Quebec Superior Court is scheduled to hear the union’s emergency application tomorrow, which could temporarily suspend the essential service provisions while the broader constitutional challenge proceeds. Legal experts suggest the case may eventually reach the Supreme Court of Canada.
Meanwhile, Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante has found herself caught between frustrated commuters and the principle of labour negotiations. “We respect the collective bargaining process, but we also need to ensure Montrealers can get to work, school, and medical appointments,” Plante told reporters outside City Hall yesterday.
Behind the highly visible service disruption lies a complex labour dispute. Transit workers are seeking wage increases of 5% annually over three years, citing inflation that has outpaced their earnings. The STM’s final offer before talks broke down included 2.8% raises with some one-time bonuses.
But wages aren’t the only sticking point. Union representatives have highlighted increasingly difficult working conditions, including driver shortages that have left some operators handling routes with minimal breaks between shifts.
Transportation analyst Marie-Claude Dufour of Concordia University believes the dispute reveals deeper tensions in Quebec’s approach to public services. “We’re seeing a fundamental disconnect between the province’s ambitions for world-class transit and its willingness to invest in the people who make these systems work.”
The economic impact is mounting quickly. The Montreal Chamber of Commerce estimates daily losses of $25 million as workers arrive late, meetings are postponed, and retailers near transit hubs see sharp declines in foot traffic.
For small business owners like Rafik Tadros, whose café sits across from normally bustling Mont-Royal station, the strike couldn’t have come at a worse time. “November is already slow, and now my morning rush is gone completely. I’m down almost 70% this week.”
The provincial labour minister has given both sides until Friday to reach an agreement before appointing a special mediator with expanded powers under the new legislation. This could potentially force binding arbitration if certain timelines aren’t met.
Labour historians note that the situation echoes previous confrontations between Quebec governments and public sector unions. Professor Emeritus Jacques Rouillard from Université de Montréal points out, “Quebec has historically used legislation rather than negotiation to resolve public sector disputes. Bill 35 continues this approach but with new constitutional vulnerabilities.”
Public opinion remains divided. A Léger poll conducted yesterday shows 58% of Montrealers believe essential transit service should be maintained during strikes, while 63% also support transit workers’ right to strike for better conditions.
For Montreal parent Sophie Tremblay, who now coordinates a neighborhood walking school bus to get kids to their elementary school, the strike illustrates a broader social contract. “Of course it’s inconvenient, but we forget these are the same workers who kept showing up during COVID when everyone else stayed home.”
As both sides dig in, the outcome may redefine labour relations across Quebec’s public sector for years to come. With winter approaching and patience wearing thin, Montrealers are left wondering whether this strike represents the last gasp of traditional union power or the beginning of a new era of worker resistance to legislative constraints.
For now, the silent stations and empty bus shelters stand as physical reminders that even in our digital age, the movement of people through a city remains fundamental to its functioning—and a powerful point of leverage for those who make that movement possible.
