Laval's 850 blue-collar workers go on strike

Laval Mayor Stéphane Boyer. (LA PRESSE CANADIENNE/Graham Hughes)

Laval's 850 blue-collar workers launched a 24-hour strike on Tuesday.

Last April, the workers voted 96 per cent in favour of a strike mandate.

Syndicat des cols bleus de Laval (SCFP 4545) President Louis-Pierre Plourde, says the work stoppage was forced due to a lack of transparency by the labour board's representatives at the bargaining table.

The union is calling on Laval Mayor Stéphane Boyer to intervene, denouncing the fact that the conflict has been festering for several years.

The union claims that talks with the city have been deadlocked for months and points out that some 1,000 grievances have been undermining the daily lives of dozens of blue-collar workers for years.

The union members plan to demonstrate on the day of the city council meeting, marching through the streets of Laval to city hall in the late afternoon.

The blue-collar workers' 24-hour strike comes on the day of the 50th Laval blood donor clinic, held at Place Bell, the home arena of the Laval Rocket in the American Hockey League (AHL).

Donors will have the opportunity to meet Rocket players, who will be at the site throughout the day.

The president of the Laval blue-collar union, as well as several members, are expected to welcome donors and hand them leaflets explaining the reasons for their one-day strike.

-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Nov. 7, 2023.