STM, maintenance workers’ union return to contract talks

Public transport users line up to board a bus operated by the Société de transport de Montréal. Photo taken on June 9, 2025 (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press)

Another round of conciliation is underway between the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) and the union that represents 2,400 maintenance employees.

The union, affiliated with the Confédération des syndicats nationaux through the Fédération des employé(e)s de services publics (FEESP-CSN), said Wednesday that a joint request had been made to the Ministry of Labour.

During this phase, there will be no pressure tactics. Earlier this month, the union had said it was “assessing” the situation and had not ruled out resuming pressure tactics in hopes of breaking the deadlock.

The union and the STM have been negotiating for two years.

This isn’t the parties’ first effort to bridge the gap. They have already gone through six months of mediation and a previous conciliation phase, both of which were unsuccessful.

By mid-February, the two sides had already held 138 bargaining sessions.

The dispute centres mainly on the use of subcontracting. The STM wants more flexibility and lower costs, while the union is seeking to protect its members’ jobs and preserve public service delivery.

The union has already held four strikes — the first in June, the second in September and October, a third in November and a fourth spanning December and January.

The STM has reached agreements with three other major unions, two locals of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, affiliated with the FTQ, and a local of the SEPB, also affiliated with the FTQ.

Those unions represent the agency’s 4,500 bus drivers and métro operators, its 1,300 administrative and technical employees, and 800 professionals.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Feb. 25, 2026.

By Lia Lévesque, The Canadian Press