Autobus Transco calls for the appointment of a third-party adjudicator to end the strike and lead to the immediate resumption of school transportation in Montreal

MONTREAL, Feb. 21, 2024 /CNW/ - Transco-CSN Workers' Union has been on an indefinite general strike, depriving 15,000 Montreal families of their daily school transportation service since October 31, 2023. The consequences run deep, with some parents having lost their jobs due to the transport constraints imposed on them by the CSN's stoppage of structured school transportation.

The salary demands made by the CSN at the negotiating table would not be viable for any school transportation provider in Montreal. Transco already offers the best compensation package in school transportation in Montreal, but despite this the CSN held a demonstration this week on Parliament Hill, in Quebec, to repeat its unreasonable demands. Contrary to CSN's claims, Transco has already demonstrated to the CSN that we have provided the fair share of the funds we received from the government as wages.

Faced with the impossibility of making progress at the negotiating table, Transco calls on the CSN to accept our offer to appoint an impartial adjudicator and remove the negotiations from the hands of both parties. The appointment of an adjudicator would allow:

• The immediate resumption of transportation service for 15,000 students in Montreal
• The return of a regular paycheck to the nearly 350 affected drivers
• The resolution of this negotiation without bias and to which Transco commits to respect the decision, whatever the outcome.

If the CSN is confident that Transco is offering low wages, a neutral third-party adjudicator would come to that same conclusion after reviewing the facts. Yet, the CSN consistently rejects this proposal since they likely know that their demands are unreasonable and that an adjudicator would not agree with their position.

Nearly four months after the start of the indefinite general strike, the families of the Lester-B.-Pearson and English Montreal school boards, Collège Sainte-Anne as well as the Montreal and Marguerite-Bourgeoys school service centers deserve this conflict be entrusted to an adjudicator. Transco challenges the CSN to turn to a neutral third-party for the resolution of this strike or to explain why they will not.

If the CSN continues to reject this reasonable solution, then Transco is calling on the Quebec government to impose arbitration on the parties. CSN continues to demonstrate their bad faith at the bargaining table. It is time that students be transported back to school safely. The government can help to end this strike and ensure students educational development no longer suffers due to the CSN strike.

About Autobus Transco/First Student, Inc.

As a leading school transportation solutions provider in North America, Autobus Transco/First Student strives to provide the best start and finish to every school day. With a team of highly trained drivers and the industry's strongest safety record, Autobus Transco/First Student delivers reliable, quality services, including full-service transportation and management, special-needs transportation, fleet electrification, route optimization, and scheduling, maintenance, and charter services with a fleet of about 46,600 buses. For more information, visit autobustransco.ca.

SOURCE Autobus Transco/First Student, Inc.

Claude Breton, [email protected]