STM can’t cope with bad blood at work
Following from a La Presse piece about a CNESST report a month ago, it seems the STM can’t defuse the tense climate in its bus garages. In June, an ambulance was called after a fight between two workers, against a background where workers are divided “par origine culturelle, par poste ou séniorité au sein du milieu de travail.”
Anyway, the CNESST wants the STM to do something, although they haven’t found a solution yet.
(La Presse keeps calling the Legendre garage “l’atelier Villeray” – maybe people call it that, but it’s actually north of the Met, in Ahuntsic.)



bob 14:21 on 2024-08-02 Permalink
Technically, it’s the Atelier de la voie Youville.
Kate 14:23 on 2024-08-02 Permalink
On Google Maps it’s Centre de transport STM Legendre. I think the Atelier de la voie is the metro train maintenance centre, which I’m guessing is a different crew from the bus garage.
Ian 20:34 on 2024-08-02 Permalink
TBH it kind of sounds like the investigation is making matters worse by drawing it out, a quick response of some kind was in order – it is very frustrating to file a grievance of any kind and see it go on for ages without any concrete results let alone the kind of “tensions” being described here. Sounds like the shop floor has formed informal gangs. Management probably has their hands tied by various levels of bureaucracy but there need to be some immediate formal disciplinary measures. Even the buses have posters up saying “aucun violence de tout sort” and all that. If there are ambulances involved this is a failure not only of tehe workers but of management. Offering to show the workers a video as a solution is comical.
Maybe this is something we can solve with clowns?
Kate 20:35 on 2024-08-02 Permalink
Reading the articles, I have to wonder what the union is doing about it.
Ian 21:12 on 2024-08-02 Permalink
I wonder that, too. There was a lot of angry discussion in my local union when our sectoral union allowed a motion to pass in support of Bill 96, in effect endangering the jobs of teachers at English CEGEPs. We weren’t wrong, in some cases entire departments have been essentially eliminated, like Language Studies. It’s not a good time to be a CEGEP level Chinese, Spanish, or German teacher as those elective slots are now filled with mandatory French classes.
That said, to have open racial/ethnic violence … that’s a dramatic failing that suggests tacit approval or at least internal dissent at the senior union levels.
Ian 12:47 on 2024-08-03 Permalink
Addendum for clarity:
The elimination of language studies is only happening at English CEGEPS. You can still study German or Chinese or Spanish if you go to a French CEGEP.