Editorial: Strikes are worth the inconvenience.

OpinionsEditorialThe Link — Published September 16, 2025 4 minutes

However, The Link believes it’s crucial not only to support, but to uplift workers during strike action.

And in reality, transport workers aren’t to blame for delays in transportation, modified bus and metro schedules, or steep fare prices—all common points of frustration in online forums discussing transport in Montreal recently. 

Transport workers keep the city moving; without them, no one gets to class or work on time. And this isn’t the first time that STM workers have gone on strike for better working conditions this year.

As such, it only makes sense that every public transit user should support their specific demand for a 25 per cent wage increase over five years. And if striking is the only way to achieve this, then so be it.

Yet, STM maintenance workers are not the only group fighting for better working conditions in 2025.

Over the past year, Amazon warehouse workers, Canada Post workers, Concordia’s teaching and research assistants, and Air Canada flight attendants have all taken strike action after prolonged failed negotiations. 

Undoubtedly, these strikes have caused delays in the personal lives of most Montrealers: late parcel deliveries, flights and grade results at university, among other inconveniences. 

But instead of directing resentment towards striking workers for this ripple effect, The Link poses this question: What kind of systems are in place that force the working class to take such extreme measures just to achieve basic rights such as livable wages and safe working conditions? 

The larger corporations that monetize workers’ suffering ultimately benefit from us pointing the finger at those striking. While some residents choose to take their anger out on those who keep the city in motion, those at the top of the food chain, who perpetuate these issues blamelessly, sit back and watch. 

Additionally, many striking workers do not want to take such extreme measures, and even risk severe consequences such as steep fines and jail time, to achieve livable wages.

The very purpose of striking is to disrupt; to make one’s voice heard. A strike that does not cause large-scale inconvenience does not make a sufficient statement. After all, history has shown that change comes when systems and governing bodies are challenged. 

In March of this year, François Legault’s CAQ government slashed public transit funding and scrapped an $800 million tramway project in the city. 

Hence, The Link asks again: As transit fare prices are raised each year, who is really responsible for making public transit unaffordable and causing delays in new, necessary transit projects? 

In August of this year, Air Canada flight attendants prepared to strike for the first time in 40 years. It was coming from a place of deep-rooted frustration. Not only did their wage hikes fail to meet inflation standards, but flight staff themselves were often only paid for their time in the air—meaning that hours spent on the ground between flights, in airports and helping customers through the flight boarding process, essentially became glorified volunteer work. 

Even following the tentative agreement reached at the end of August, Air Canada flight attendants still only received a meagre compromise: 60 to 70 minutes of ground pay at “50 per cent of the regular hourly wage in the first year of the agreement, gradually rising to 70 per cent of the hourly wage in the fourth year of the contract.”

The Link raises another question: With the cost of living constantly on the rise, who can afford to work for free?

So, when the STM strike will in all likelihood begin on Sept. 22, The Link will stand in solidarity with the workers’ cause, despite the inconveniences it may cause to some of its own staff. 

The Link equally encourages all students and Montreal residents who rely on the metro and city buses to take the same stance and to direct their anger at the CEOs and executives who continue to belittle the demands of their hard-working employees.

At best, those in charge are ignorant of the unsustainable system they have created for their workers. At worst, they actively and intentionally contribute to their suffering. 

The Link holds deep respect for striking workers across every sector whose labour makes daily life in the city possible. And we believe you should too.

This article originally appeared in Volume 46, Issue 2, published September 16, 2025.