Twenty school bus drivers, affiliated with Local Union 1791 of the Teamsters Union and employed by Autobus Magog in Estrie, voted in assembly on May 12 unanimously for a strike mandate.
These drivers, who play an essential role in their community, being responsible for the safety and transportation of students in the region, are demanding a salary commensurate with their responsibilities, as well as better working conditions.
This mandate being without a specific date, a strike can be triggered at any time.
For Michel Richard, union representative of Local Union 1791 in charge of negotiations in this case, the drivers had no more choice: “Our members have become impoverished in recent years due to inflation, and their salary simply no longer allows them to live. They deserve to be able to exercise their important profession with dignity, and faced with an employer who refuses to acknowledge this, a strike mandate becomes the last resort to make themselves heard”.
Negotiations are still ongoing with Autobus Magog, and two meetings with a conciliator are on the agenda. Although no one wants to resort to a strike, the Teamsters Union will support its members to the end.
