Front Burner - Half a million strike in Quebec

Episode Date: December 14, 2023

Unions in Quebec have united for one of the largest strikes in Canadian history, with more than 6% of Quebec’s population currently on strike. Is the public blaming unions or Premier François Legault for widespread school closures and delays in healthcare? How does the unions’ “Common Front” moniker invoke Quebec’s deep history of labour solidarity? If deals aren’t reached soon, how long could strikes continue? CBC Montreal journalist Jennifer Yoon explains.

In the Dragon's Den, a simple pitch can lead to a life-changing connection. Watch new episodes of Dragon's Den free on CBC Gem. Brought to you in part by National Angel Capital Organization, empowering Canada's entrepreneurs through angel investment and industry connections. This is a CBC Podcast. Hi, I'm Damon Fairless. I personally feel we are not advancing. I personally feel that the government needs to pronounce, needs to be on the table and say when they want us to stop this. One of the largest strikes in Canada's history is happening right now in Quebec.

Over half a million public sector workers have walked off their jobs. That means more than 6% of Quebec's population is currently on strike, shutting down most schools and prolonging delays for health care. We are all suffering, so to end the suffering, I guess, just come to an agreement that makes sense and logic and it's fair for everyone and we can get back to our lives and continue with our job. The bulk of these workers are from four unions that have banded together for negotiations with the province. They're calling themselves the Common Front.

That's a name with a deep history in Quebec's labor movement. And while the Front's seven-day strike will only last until midnight tonight, if they don't reach collective agreements soon, those workers could join others who are on strike indefinitely. To explain how we got here and the consequences for Quebec and its premier, I'm joined by Jennifer Yoon. She's a journalist with CBC Montreal. Hey, Jennifer, thanks for coming on. Thanks for having me. Okay, so there's a ton of people on strike now. Like, I mean, a huge amount, over half a million. So I was hoping you could start by telling me how things are unfolding on the streets there in Quebec. What's it look like? What's it sound like? Well, it looks cold and it sounds loud.

We're talking about hundreds of thousands of workers outside schools, outside hospitals, on every couple of blocks or so here in Montreal. You see people with noisemakers and flags. They're all bundled up because you got a big old dump of snow about a week ago that's melted and turned into ice now. So not great conditions to be on the picket lines, but people are out there and they've been out there throughout the month of November and starting into December as well. And so can you give me a sense of what's shut down?

What kind of places, what kind of services? How's this affecting folks day to day? Pretty much all public schools in the province are shut down. Healthcare system-wise, some services are essential and they can't be stopped. For example, the services that are being given in emergency rooms, they can't be stopped. But thousands of non-urgent surgeries, for example, or non-urgent appointments, they have been delayed. So can you give me some tangible examples of how this is affecting folks' day-to-day life? I mean, parents, their lives are pretty much upended. They've had to find alternatives. Kids have been out of school.

Finding things for her to do all day long that doesn't include watching TV. things for her to do all day long that doesn't include watching TV. The lucky ones are able to get a spot in day camps that have been really hastily arranged in different places across the province. When I got an email about a week ago saying there would be a camp here, I just jumped at the opportunity. Others have not been so lucky and they've had to go to work with their parents or parents have had to take the day off to take care of them, which is obviously has real consequences on the workforce as well as on kids. Because remember, these are kids that lived through COVID, right? They've lived through a lot

of disruptions. And finally, there was a sense that they got some stability and all of a sudden that's been yanked away from them. And some of the folks that are feeling it the most are parents who have kids with special needs. So we've heard from parents of kids who are on the spectrum, for example, who've told us that they've finally been able to see their kids thrive after years of COVID. And boom, that's gone up in smoke because these kids are out of school.

Finally, he was thriving for the first time since he was one. And then this happened. You know, what's also interesting about this, those parents that we spoke to who are suffering some of the worst brunts of the effects, they've told us that they don't blame the teachers. They blame the government.

To understand what's happening now, I actually want to go back to last year when the unions were preparing for these contract negotiations with the province. This group they formed, the Common Front, what is the Common Front? So the Common Front actually has a really rich, deep history here in Quebec. They're a coalition of several unions, the three largest unions in Quebec, the CSN, the FTQ, and the CSQ, which joined together in April last year to do the negotiations together. And later on, the healthcare union APTS also joined. They've been facing off against the government altogether. Okay, so there's a lot of acronyms here. Yeah. I'm bad with acronyms. It's like an alphabet soup here in Quebec. That's exactly right. So can you just give me a sense of the different range of employees

employed by these unions or who are represented by these unions? Yeah, for sure. It's a really wide range. I mean, C-JAP teachers, those are junior college teachers here in Quebec, teachers in the English system, school support staff, so like lunch monitors, lab technicians. Some healthcare workers, too, are in this particular union. Others are in a different union, which I'll tell you about in a second. But these are occupational therapists, nutritionists, psychologists. We're talking people who work in social services, education, and healthcare in the public sector pretty much across the board. Okay, so now they're under this umbrella called the Common Front, but there's this long history

behind that name, behind Common Front with labor in Quebec. Can you tell me how it was originally used in the 70s? Yeah, totally. In 1972, so, you know, we're talking 50 years and a little bit, three huge Quebec unions joined together. They held Canada's first ever strike of public sector workers. This was the largest in North American history at the time. Hundreds of thousands went on strike, and that led to the province effectively passing a bill which banned the strikes, ended up jailing three of the union presidents with the Common Front. But eventually the unions, they won wage increases, they won better pensions, and they also won a minimum wage of $100 a week and cost of living adjustments. So this name invokes a proud and successful history of labor action in this province.

And so that was in 72. And this announcement for this current iteration of the Common Front last April was actually on the 50th anniversary of the formation of that first Common Front, right? Yeah, absolutely. And they're really like going into the symbolism of that for sure. I mean, there's been discussions on whether this is the strongest labor movement we've seen since 72. Certainly, you know, half a million people are on strike. So numbers wise, this is huge. So negotiations with the current version of the Common Front started earlier this year. But then if we fast forward to October, what were some of the signs that these talks might be breaking down?

Yeah, I mean, these negotiations have been going on for a while. We're talking going as far back to May 2021. There were low key pressure tactics, negotiations, but the unions were asking for money. But Legault had been saying no because of the large deficits, because of the pandemic. So there's been a lot of bitter back and forth. But things, as you said, started really popping up in October this year, because in mid-October, common front workers voted 95% in favor of a strike. And they talked about economic slowdown and rampant inflation as some of the factors which helped set the tensions alight. People are burnt out, there are fewer workers, there's resentment and frustration. And that's part of how we got to this

massive labor action that we're seeing now. So since voting to strike, the four common front unions have gone on three strikes in November and December, including this current one, the seven-day strike that's on now, that last Friday. But over the past couple of months, what other unions have started striking as well? Well, the other unions that are at play here, and this is the alphabet soup part even more. The FIC is one player. That's the Fédération Interprofessionnelle de la Santé de Québec. That's the largest nurses in the province, and it represents about 80,000 health care workers, also respiratory therapists.

They started a four-day strike on Monday, and this is the third walkout they've had since November. And they're saying that an indefinite strike is also on the table for them unless they find a solution. And speaking of indefinite strikes, there's also the FAE, which is the Fédération Autonome de l'Enseignement. That's the teachers' union. They represent teachers mostly in the French system, elementary and secondary schools. Not all the French schools, but a lot of them. They've been on indefinite strike since November 23rd. So all of the teachers off the job, kids out of classrooms.

And that's been really affecting parents, what I was telling you about earlier as well. So let's talk about this a bit. I want to focus on what the unions are saying is one of the most important parts of their demands, and that's improved working conditions. And then specifically, the healthcare workers and education workers feel that they've been working in unacceptable conditions. Can you help me understand why they're feeling that way? Yeah, totally. They say that they're understaffed and overworked. There's been forced overtime that's been used to keep nurses working through the weekends when there are staff shortages.

Enough is enough. They've got unbelievable, very terrible working conditions. The salaries are not there. We cannot keep the people inside our system. That's been cause for labor action outside of this. There was a sit-ins at the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital, which is in the eastern part of Montreal, forced overtime. Healthcare workers say that the public system is bleeding workers, and we just can't afford that. Right now, they cannot retain people.

They cannot attract people. And their solutions so far attack our very job security. The dysfunction in the healthcare care system in Quebec, it's kind of famous. It's in some of Denis Arcand's movies. And the Oscar goes to... From Canada, The Barbarian Invasions. Accepting the award, the director, Denis Arcand.

You can talk to any Quebecer, ask them about long wait times in emergency rooms or years-long wait for family doctors. Quebec is grappling with an ongoing health crisis. Nearly half of new nurses are leaving the profession before they turn 35. More than 2 million people don't have a family doctor. So it reflects a point where this network has been stretched for years. There was a pandemic which stretched these workers even further. And then this happens and they don't feel like they're getting their due.

And then for teachers, we're talking about classroom sizes and a lack of resources, especially for special education kids. And that's been making things very difficult, teachers say. You go into education to make a difference, and if you can't make a difference in your day-to-day teaching, then you feel like a failure, and it's not a good feeling. None of us want to cause our students any more disruption. None of us want to see our pedagogical programs suffer, our students' social and emotional health suffer. And I say to Mr. Legault, it's time to act now. In the Dragon's Den, a simple pitch can lead to a life-changing connection. Watch new episodes of Dragon's Den free on CBC Gem.

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I help you and your partner create a financial vision together. To listen to this podcast, just search for Money for Couples. Throughout these negotiations on the Quebec side of things, on the government side of things, Premier Legault and his government have frequently talked about a desire for, quote, flexibility. We're open to give them more, but in exchange, we need a commitment about the flexibility. So what does that term, flexibility, mean to Legault? Well, Legault has said that he'd be willing to put more money on the table for salaries, but unions, he says, would have to say yes, for example, for the government paying some workers more than others in some areas, Yes, for example, for the government paying some workers more than others in some areas or, you know, being able to issue schedules earlier.

Things like overtime as well as scheduling, that's what the government wants more control over. The unions, though, say that that would just mean that hard-won labor rights would be clawed back, that it would be at the employer's whim who gets a promotion, who gets extra hours, who gets fewer hours. And they say that the flexibility in working conditions would just mean these workers who are already stretched to the brink, well, that they would break. Imagine an elastic that's been pulled further and further. And they're warning that more flexibility, according to Legault's government, that would cause that band to break. And I should note that when we've talked to workers on the picket line, we've heard over and over and over again, working conditions are more important to them than salary increases. Smaller classes, again, more manageable workloads for teachers, and an end to long shifts and having to care for

too many patients for nurses. So in the midst of these protests, just last Saturday, Francois Legault, his government accepted Bill 15, which is a sweeping health care reform bill. And it's actually, I think, one of the largest bills ever passed in the province. But can you help me understand what's in that bill that upset health care workers even further? Yeah, I want to give a little more context about how that bill was passed through because the CAQ government pushed that bill through by invoking closure at the crack of dawn, 5.30 a.m. on Saturday. And MNAs had been doing a clause-by-clause examination of that bill, and they weren't able to finish it before the government slammed it through. The bill would create a new agency called Santé Quebec, which would be in charge of coordinating all the operations of the whole network. The province says the reform will give patients quicker access to care,

and it's also good for employees. We have more mobility with our employees because they are not linked to one establishment. They are not linked to one installation. They could move to different installations. That's a big change. But officials with SUSE, which are regional health authorities, kind of like nerve centers in different areas of Quebec, they've been saying that the government hasn't explained how this bill will actually make things better. The government is promising that it'll make working conditions better. It's promising all these things about how this bill will fix it. Well, officials would cease to say, show us the proof.

And there's also, you know, unions. The unions that are currently on the picket lines now have said that this was pushed through without debate, without understanding exactly how this is going to affect the workers. It was improvised. It's a very quick bill that is completely going to destabilize the health care system. When we're at a very, very delicate point already. They're not the only ones. Some doctors have also said that they're not convinced. Quebec's Federation of General Practitioners also is criticizing the bill,

saying that the major problem in the system right now in the network is a personnel shortage. And they feel skeptical that working conditions will really improve enough through this bill. As you mentioned, a lot of the workers have said that working conditions are more important than a pay increase. But that said, the unions are still pushing for improved pay. So I guess I'm curious, how have the provinces offered for better wages compared to what the workers are asking for? There's a giant chasm between what the workers are asking for and what the government's offering. There's a giant chasm between what the workers are asking for and what the government's offering. When these strikes first started in November 6, the unions were asking for a pay increase of 20% over three years. The government was offering just over half of that over five years.

And after all this disruption, after over a month of labor action, the government has changed that to 12.7% over five years for most workers. That, the common front rejected. And why? What's the response been? Why are they saying this isn't enough? Well, the workers say that it's just not enough to keep people in the public system. Nurses, for example, in Quebec, we know that nurses in this province earn the lowest starting salaries. In Canada, according to data from the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions, we also know that thousands of them have actually chosen to practice in other places like Ontario while living in Quebec. It was the opportunity of career that I did not really have in Quebec

to have access to administration, to have access to some speciality. So that's why I crossed the bridge. And I've spoken to young nurses on the picket line who've told me that, you know, they just graduated, they just started working, and already they're looking at options anywhere else in the U.S. and the private sector. And workers in the education system have also said that with the price of living going up, they've had to pick up extra jobs in order to make ends meet or had to visit food banks. So we're talking about, you know, the public network bleeding workers. And they say that this pay increase, what the government is offering, is just not enough to keep people inside the system where they are desperately needed. How have Premier Legault and his government defended the offers they've been making in these negotiations? Well, Legault has said, you know, they've been offering up to

$8 billion. Now that's $9 billion. That's serious. And they've also been saying that it's about how much money they have and if they can or cannot pay. And there are also questions that some Quebecers have, which is that, you know, this province is famous for lots of taxes. It depends on your tax bracket, but for the most part, you pay a lot. So there's been questions about where is that money going? That's complicated. You know, we offer more services, for example, you know, daycare or other services like that, that are more widespread in Quebec than in other provinces, and that eats away at our budget. But that is something that a lot of people are wondering. So looking ahead then, union leaders, they say they've got a couple days of general meetings starting this coming Monday,

where they might be able to present a tentative agreement for workers' approval. If there's not a deal following that, what can happen here? Is there an end in sight? I mean, what can happen is that these workers can stay off the job indefinitely. I mean, the common front has said that, you know, if they can't reach a deal by the end of the year, they're going to ask their workers to go on indefinite strike early next year. And same with the FIC, they said, you know, unless there's a deal going into Christmas, they're also looking at keeping their workers off the job. This has already been hugely disruptive in the education system and the health system. Well, multiply it by several times because if they're off the job

indefinitely, that's really going to put the pressure on the government to work something out. Do you have any sense of how the negotiations are going between the unions and the province? Yeah, it's complicated because, you know, the FAE, the teachers union, say that there's been progress. François Legault said yesterday that he's hoping that kids can go back to school by Monday. But we are talking about two sides that are starting so far apart. And there's been movement, but it's been as slow as molasses, really. And unions say that they are frustrated that the government, they think, are not acting with the urgency that the situation really demands. So I'm just thinking with so much interruption for Quebecers so far, and I guess with the prospect of even greater disruption, as you just mentioned, what kind of signs are there

as to whether the public is supporting the unions? Are they getting fed up yet? Well, this is the interesting part because so far, polls actually suggest that public support is on the union side. The Léger poll, which looked at how the common front is being perceived and how their demands are being perceived, support for their demands actually increased after a three-day walkout back in November, which came before the seven-day strike that we're on now. For the FIC, too, a Léger poll conducted from December 1st to 4th, say 72% of those who were polled either totally agreed or somewhat agreed with the movement. And aside from the polls, there are also parents who have organized protests in support of the

teachers. And more anecdotally, I can tell you because I've spent days outside the picket lines as I've been covering the story, the number of honks in support, quite loud, quite frequent, and quite numerous. It sounds like pretty astounding support. So I guess with that in mind, then what kind of blame do you think the province might end up saddled with? I'm just thinking Premier François Legault's government, the Coalition Avenir Québec, won a strong majority in the National Assembly last year. But I'm just wondering, could the consequences of this strike be a threat to him?

I mean, we'll have to see because we're still not at the stage where everyone's on indefinite strike just yet. But, you know, you're right. They had this sleeping majority. There was a sense that they were kind of politically invincible. Legault was enjoying like a huge popularity, but that shiny veneer is cracking. And it's hard to say if it's exactly just the strike. He's been slipping in polls lately. His party lost in a by-election in the Quebec City area, the area of Jean Talon. That used to be a CAQ riding. Now it's gone to the Parti Québécois.

And there's also been two controversies which are not doing him any favors around spending and economic management. many favors around spending and economic management. One is that the government has bookmarked up to $7 million to host the LA Kings in Quebec City for preseason games and exhibition events. And opposition parties have been slamming the CAQ government for that, while the CAQ says it's about promoting leisure and sports in Capitale National in Quebec City. The other controversy is that the MNAs gave themselves a 30% raise. So that's often cited by workers on strike who say, if 30% is good enough for you, why isn't 20% good enough for us? So Jennifer, in the past, we've talked to our colleague Jonathan Monpetit about how the culture

of environmental protests in Quebec is quite unique and quite successful. I guess I'm curious, do you see anything analogous that's different or exceptional about Quebec's labor protests? I think what's really unique about these protests and the culture is the history, how successful they've been, how huge labor action has been. It's also unique in that Quebec has an unusually large number of unionized public sector workers who want to make up for decades of what they think are lost wages. But here's something that is not exceptional about the situation. The frustrations that these workers are raising about the increasing cost of living, about working

conditions, about burnout after the pandemic. These are issues that resonate with workers across sectors, across provinces. And just as you were watching in the 70s, they'll be watching what happens next here to see what happens elsewhere as well. Jennifer, thanks so much. I really appreciate talking to you. My pleasure. All right, that's it for today. I'm Damon Fairless. Thanks for listening to FrontBurner. I'll talk to you tomorrow. For more CBC Podcasts, go to cbc.ca slash podcasts.