Snow removal in Châteauguay : private sector workers allege intimidation

Private truck drivers requested as reinforcements for the snow removal operation in Châteauguay no longer want to work in the area, claiming to have been intimidated by the municipality's blue-collar workers. The city condemns the actions of its employees, who are slowing down snow removal operations. The union, for its part, claims that the independent truckers were unhappy with a decision made by the city.

Translation Amanda Bennett

“I've been in the business for 15 years, and I've never seen anything like it in my life,” said Bruno Connolly, brokerage station manager at Transport en vrac Beauharnois-Salaberry. This non-profit organization was commissioned by the City of Châteauguay to find around fifteen trucks to load the snow more quickly. This decision by the City had been criticized by the blue-collar union as soon as it was announced.

At the beginning of the week, when the independent truckers arrived in Châteauguay, the drivers felt from the start that they were not welcome, according to Transport en vrac Beauharnois-Salaberry. “They were all told that they would not be loaded and to go home,” says Mr. Connolly.

The blue-collar trucks were brushing against the private ones. “My guys wouldn't even get out of their trucks because they were afraid of getting hit,” said the director, adding that the truckers no longer trusted the snowblower and feared that the snow would be blown directly onto the truck.

The city says it has received complaints of “blocking and slowing of convoys, intimidation, dangerous maneuvers and speeding” from blue-collar workers.

On the night of February 25, the Châteauguay Police Department was called in to intervene in connection with the snow removal operations. No arrests have been made so far and the investigation is ongoing, according to Erika Grondin, the police department's Media Relations Officer.

The union defends itself

The SCFP union, which represents blue-collar workers in Châteauguay, claims that there were dissatisfied municipal and private employees. “What I was told was that the city had decided to prioritize city trucks for snow removal and that the independent contractors were unhappy about it,” said union representative Stéphane Paré, who is acting as spokesperson for the local union.

“Of course there were comments, but I'm not ready to call it intimidation,” he continues.

As for the allegations of almost hitting trucks, Mr. Paré replied: “the workers were standing in the middle of the street without bibs, to make the blue-collar workers feel uncomfortable. It's becoming a game of who did what”.

“It's unacceptable!”

“It's absolutely unacceptable, and it's the citizens who are the first to be affected by the situation. All we want is to speed up snow removal operations to ensure the safety of our citizens, and it is our own employees who are preventing us from doing so!” said Mayor Éric Allard.

The Director General, Mr. Karl Sacha Langlois, also lamented the situation and mentioned that investigations are underway and that ‘action will certainly be taken against the guilty parties’.

Due to the actions of municipal employees, the independent truckers have made it known that they do not want to return to the territory unless solutions are found to reduce the tension.

The City says it had discussions with the union on the subject on February 25th and in particular proposed a rescheduling of the work to finish it without having to resort to subcontractors, but the two parties did not agree. “The union has refused the offer, requesting the permanent withdrawal of the clause allowing the City to use the services of third parties for snow removal,” said Caroline Dumouchel, Deputy Director General and Director of Human Resources.

Mr. Paré countered that the union did not accept the city's conditions, which specified that it was not obliged to adopt the solutions proposed by the union. “This goes against the collective agreement,” he claimed. He added that the union is open to continuing the discussion to “find a win-win solution.”

According to the City, as of the end of the day on February 25, 50% of the snow had been cleared. It fears that the precipitation expected in the coming days will exacerbate the current problems.

The collective agreement for blue-collar workers in Châteauguay expired on December 31, 2023.