145 Keolis bus drivers get 26 per cent salary bump in new contract

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Bus drivers employed by Keolis Canada have just signed a new collective agreement that provides for a salary increase of 26 per cent on average from the first year, their union says.

The 145 employees in Terrebonne, members of a local section of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, voted 81 per cent in favour of the deal. They transport people from Mascouche and Terrebonne to métro stations in Montreal and Laval.

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The employment contract is for a period of nine years, from Jan. 1, 2023 to Dec. 31, 2031.

The union says it successfully negotiated an average increase of 26 per cent for the first year, followed by the equivalent of the Consumer Price Index for subsequent years. The increase is higher for those at the bottom of the salary scale, to attract more workers to the job, said Dominic Aubry, a union representative.

He explained that this is a good settlement, but that there also had to be an “upgrade” in the income of drivers, which was not very high before, varying from $19.81 to $24.19 an hour.

Keolis confirmed the agreement without specifying any details.

“Keolis Canada always wants to improve the situation of its teams while ensuring that it can offer high-quality service while remaining economically competitive. The new ratified collective agreement reflects this vision,” the company said in a statement.

Aubry notes that there was no labour conflict and the employer was aware of difficulties in recruitment and retention.

“The public transit job market is very competitive for small, medium and large companies, whether private or public,” the company said. “The scarcity of labour affects all sectors of the public transit industry.”

Besides suburban transit buses, Keolis Canada also runs the Orléans Express inter-city bus service, the airport parking shuttle at Trudeau airport, and shuttle buses for Concordia University. It has 800 employees overall, according to its website.