Montreal Strike: Workers Demand 20% Pay Hike

0:00It's April 17th, from your city to your ears. This is Canada News today, powered by AI. I'm Corey with the story. Montreal's blue collar workers are deep into day three of a massive city-wide strike, kicking off a huge rally, Friday, right outside City Hall. Labor tensions are boiling as the Union and the city dig in their heels. Negotiations hit a wall mainly over wages, even though they've sorted out the non-money stuff. The Union's calling for a minimum 20% salary bump to fight back against skyrocketing living costs and hold on to real buying power. The city fire back with an 11% increase, stretched over five years, blaming tight budgets. Workers argue that deal would straight up shrink their take home value in today's economy. This walk-out slamming municipal services hard, closing Notre Dame facilities Thursday and messing with key access points. The contract laughs December 31st, 2024, and talks keep grinding on.

1:00Expect the strike to push through Saturday morning, unless they break through soon, leaving these frontline folks holding the line for a fair shake.