Blue-collar workers with the City of Montreal are warning that they may step up their strike action in the run-up to the UCI Road World Championships, a major event set to take place in September. In a press release issued on Monday, the Syndicat des cols bleus regroupés de Montréal lamented a lack of progress in negotiations with the city over the renewal of their collective agreement, which expired on Dec. 31, 2024. According to the union, the blue-collar workers wanted to cooperate by taking part in road resurfacing work in the run-up to the championships, but argued the city has not been reciprocal. The union has criticized the awarding of contracts to private companies in the run-up to the competition. “This affront shows a lack of respect for these workers and for taxpayers,” said the union’s president, Nicolas De Ciccio, in a statement, pointing out that work outsourced to the private sector incurs higher costs than if it were carried out in-house. The union has stated that about 10 rounds of negotiations have taken place since early May, but said the employer has remained inflexible on issues of money, which are at the heart of the labour dispute. “Should the City of Montreal fail to speed up the pace of negotiations, the Syndicat des cols bleus regroupés de Montréal will have no choice but to step up its strike action, which could lead to a historic labour dispute during the World Championships,” warned De Ciccio. More than 1,000 athletes are set to take part in the UCI Road World Championships from Sept. 20 to 27. Organizers say the event is expected to attract more than 200 million television viewers worldwide and draw nearly 500,000 spectators to the venues. The blue-collar workers’ union is a local branch of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), affiliated with the Fédération des travailleurs et travailleuses du Québec (FTQ), representing 6,200 members. The blue-collar workers have gone on strike twice during the current round of negotiations: for one day in February and three days in April. This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Aug. 17, 2026.
