On the Picket Line

School bus drivers in Quebec fight for higher wages

By Joseph Latour
February 19, 2018
School bus drivers in Montreal picket Transco, part of multinational First Student company, Jan. 31. Drivers also struck against company in Seattle, California and Manchester, England.
Militant/Joseph LatourSchool bus drivers in Montreal picket Transco, part of multinational First Student company, Jan. 31. Drivers also struck against company in Seattle, California and Manchester, England.

MONTREAL — Some 100 school bus drivers braved freezing cold to conduct a spirited rally in front of the Transco headquarters here Jan. 31. The drivers, members of the Confederation of National Trade Unions (CSN) held the rally as part of a two-day strike action Jan. 30-31 protesting bosses’ demands for a concession contract.

“We wanted to show the boss and the government that we are determined to be recognized,” Victor Escobar, who’s been working there for four years, told the Militant. “We are also looking for parents’ support. We are doing this for them and their children.”

Carole Laplante, local union president, said the company proposed a five-year contract with no pay raise the first two years and then just 50 percent of the Consumer Price Index rate for the next three years. The unionists rejected the offer by 98 percent, demanding a three-year contract with 2 percent raises each year.

The 330 drivers transport almost 15,000 children each day. Transco is part of First Student, the largest school bus operator in North America.