The Quebec Court of Arbitration (TAT) has ruled that Montreal blue-collar workers’ plan to launch a three-day strike in mid-April has been approved by the court, based on the basic service lists submitted by both parties. Montreal blue-collar workers will strike for three days in mid-April, after employers and unions reached an agreement on a list of essential services.
The strike is expected to begin at 6 a.m. on April 15 and end at 6 a.m. on April 18. The arbitration tribunal ruled that the basic services promised by both parties were sufficient to safeguard public health and citizen safety. For example, regarding waste collection, the regular work team in the Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district will resume normal operations on April 15. For other areas, waste collection will be primarily handled by outsourced companies. However, many other services will be affected during the strike, with reduced staff and a response-on-demand or on-call basis.
Services that will continue to operate during the strike include public space cleaning, water maintenance, sewage maintenance, and major road repairs. The CUPE 301 union, representing over 6,000 members, plans a strike from April 15 to 18. The union is organizing this action because negotiations to raise municipal workers’ wages have stalled.
The CUPE 301 union officially announced a strike on March 27, following a 24-hour strike in February. Since February 2025, the union has been negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement with the city government, whose previous contract expires in December 2024.
The main point of contention in the negotiations is wages, with the union finding the city government’s proposed 11% pay rise over five years unacceptable.