Montreal union leader promises "forceful" action after being reprimanded for City Hall raid

It’s been almost two months since municipal employees stormed Montreal’s City Hall in protest of Bill 3 — provincial legislation which would claw back pension benefits.

It was an ugly scene with dozens of union members encroaching municipal offices and council chambers, scattering paper and flinging cups of water.

Well, one of the union leaders involved in the melee, and now suspended for his actions, is suggesting that things could get even uglier.

"This is the first time that a union president has been suspended while performing his union duties,” Ronald Martin, the president of the firefighters’ union, told the Montreal Gazette.

“In Quebec, the presumption of innocence has fallen again.No one will stop me from performing my role as union president. Union action will continue, more than ever … more determined and forceful than ever.”

[ Related: Ronald Martin, firefighters’ union head, suspended over Bill 3 protest ]

The governing Liberals introduced Bill 3 in June as a means to mitigate municipal pension plan deficits which, province-wide, had reportedly ballooned to $3 billion.

As explained by Global News, municipal firefighters currently only contribute to 30 per cent of their pension fund while taxpayers buck-up for the other 70 per cent. The City of Montreal wants the contributions to be shared at ratio of 50/50.

And it’s not only the fire unions that are protesting.

The police union — who is also affected by the legislation — have reverted to passive protests.

In some cases, officers have been dawning camouflage pants and baseball caps; in July they had a mass sick day; and there are allegations that police officers are giving out fewer tickets as part of their silent protest.

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Michel Grant, a labour relations expert out of the University of Quebec, says that Quebecers should expect to see more of those police-style hi-jinks but not a repeat of the City Hall raid.

"Everybody — even the union movement — considered what they did [at City Hall] was a strategic and tactical blunder," Grant told Yahoo Canada News noting that it really galvanized public opinion against them.

He notes that the unions had gained some traction — early on — blaming the pension shortfalls on government mismanagement and corruption. But that support has fizzled away after the City Hall raid.

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As explained by CTV News, Bill 3 sets up a framework for “18 months of negotiations and, if necessary, six months of arbitration.”

Grant argues that the unions’ frustration is bourne from the fact they really have no power in this instance — deemed essential services they’re not allowed to strike and they’re bound by the legislation.

"There will be arbitration…but the arbitrator will also be in kind of a strait jacket because he will have to grant his award within the confines of the provisions of Bill 3” he said.

Meanwhile, the unions have also raised the specter of legal action against the government and of more rallies.

A Montreal protest on September 20th drew approximately 50,000 people.

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