Bus drivers and subway operators at the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) are at the end of their tether, regrets the union that represents them. Data obtained by Le Devoir shows that more and more of them are absent from work or even quitting their jobs.
“The bus drivers are tired. Otherwise they wouldn’t be taking sick leave more and more often. We feel it everywhere we go on the network,” admits Frédéric Therrien, president of the union of bus drivers, subway operators and employees of related services at the STM.
Between 2018 and 2022, absenteeism rates for bus drivers and subway operators increased by 43% and 52%, respectively, according to Access to Information Act data. Le Devoir found that these workers are absent from work at significantly higher rates than the average of about 10,500 STM workers.
The data provided by the STM also shows that about a third of absences due to disability reported by the organization’s employees, all positions combined, are related to “mental health”, which does not surprise Frédéric Therrien.
“We won’t hide it: drivers’ working conditions are getting tougher every year,” says the union leader. The latter points out, in particular, that bus drivers are increasingly suffering from “road stress” and have difficulty navigating between construction zones, and that drivers and cyclists have to adhere to tight schedules on various routes used daily by thousands of Montrealers.
“Today our days are compressed, so we have less time to breathe,” notes Frédéric Therrien, who wants bus drivers to have more time to complete their daily routes.
More acts of violence
Because currently several drivers are being insulted by customers because they arrive at stops too late compared to the times determined by the STM, two bus drivers confided in an interview with Le Devoir. “At the end of a working day we are mentally burned out,” one of them admits. The latter requested anonymity because he was not authorized by his employer to speak to the media. “Customers have become intolerant and aggressive,” adds another driver, noting that this problem has increased since the start of the pandemic.
The transport company confirms that the “acts of violence” that STM employees are victims of or witnesses are also increasing. They were the cause of 35% of workplace accidents related to “accidents” between June 2022 and May 2023, an increase of 4.6% compared to the same period last year.
“We are worried, but we want to reassure [la population] “Our network remains secure,” STM Director General Marie-Claude Léonard told Le Devoir. In addition, to support its employees, the organization has a program that offers them access to “mental health” resources, the manager indicates.
Resignations are increasing
Between 2018 and 2022, STM hired an average of 228 drivers per year. However, this number dropped significantly in 2021 and 2022, in which only 42 and 93 drivers joined the carrier’s ranks, respectively.
Meanwhile, the number of layoffs among bus drivers and subway operators has risen steadily, from 39 in 2020 to 44 the following year and then to 80 last year. A situation that, according to STM data, has contributed to the widening gap between hiring and leaving in these two job categories over the past two years.
“If I had had five years of service, I would have already gone somewhere else to find another job,” says a bus driver contacted by Le Devoir, who is holding on to his job only because his retirement is approaching after more than twenty years of service.
In addition, as of Thursday, the STM was still looking for 85 bus drivers to complete its workforce, although the number is decreasing due to active recruitment by the transport company. “We hope to have the right drivers to balance the service offering and if we ever need to make discounts on one or two trips, we will make sure that this is clear to customers,” said Marie-Claude Léonard, indicating this This lack of drivers could affect the quality of service on certain bus routes.
In order to compensate for the lack of drivers in its network, the STM now relies on the use of overtime, which employees do voluntarily. Through this expansion of their schedules, 609 bus drivers, subway operators and station agents earned more than $100,000 last year, compared to 345 employees in those three categories the previous year.
However, “it costs less when I have more time” than hiring more drivers, notes Ms Léonard.
Not enough special police officers
Le Devoir also learned that 44 special police officer positions are currently vacant at the STM. Of the 185 targeted employees, 141 work in the field. “It is not enough to cover the entire territory of the STM, taking into account the metro stations in Laval and Longueuil,” complains Yassine Sabir, vice president of occupational health and safety at the Brotherhood of Police and Peace Officers of the STM.
This shortage of special police officers is explained in particular by the fact that they are increasingly moving to the Montreal City Police Department and the Sûreté du Québec, “which have begun to employ us frequently” to respond to their manpower needs, notes Mr. Sabir. “We have to find other ways to keep people here,” emphasizes the union representative, who recalls that special police officers are responsible for ensuring safety and respect for payment rights in the subway network.
The absence rate of special police officers has also skyrocketed since 2019, a situation that Mr Sabir links to the presence of “aggressive people” who sometimes attack members of his union. “There is more unpredictable behavior, sometimes more serious injuries, which means we are losing more and more inspectors,” confirms Marie-Claude Léonard.