Montreal's Spring Cleaning: Workers Strike, City Blames Weather

0:00Montreal's spring cleaning drive is off to a rocky start this year. The city promised to kick things off two weeks early back in mid-March, but a month later, winter gravel and street grime are still all over sidewalks. And roads. A three-day strike by blue-collar workers has halted garbage pickup in sweeping as their locked-in contract talks with the city. The opposition at City Hall is calling out the administration for falling short on its big cleanliness push, aimed at boosting pride and appeal. These workers from CUP Local 301, over 5,000 strong, have been without a deal since December 2024. They've walked out before, including a full-day in February, demanding the city at least double its 11% raise offer over five years. Folks appointing fingers everywhere. Opposition leaders say you can't clean without the manpower and a solid union deal calling you the complex job that needs real resources. The union boss blames outdated machines that keep breaking down, insisting workers already, but the city must invest in better gear.

1:02They're out there. Rain or shine. City officials counter that bad weather, pushed back the full rollout until March 30th, even though equipment was prepped early. They note some targeted work happened ahead of schedule, and they've poured $32 million into a new action plan covering over two. Under kilometers of streets and 135 parks, downtown public spaces even got a seasonal cleaning contract starting mid-April. As the blitz stretches four to eight weeks depending on conditions, the real fix means wrapping up negotiations fast, and everyone pitching in. Residents sweeping their own sidewalks. Montreal's aiming higher on cleanliness, but it'll take more than promises to make it stick. That's your update from Canada News Today, powered by AI. I'm Corey with The Story.