MTC pressure tactics begin

If your bus driver or the guy selling you bus tickets is wearing tshirts and jeans, it means pressure tactics have started to back contract negotiations with the city of Montreal.

Union president Claude Benoit says bus and metro drivers and ticket collectors are following the edict issued by the union: to wear their streetclothes instead of their uniforms.

Benoit says they're upset over stagnating contract talks,  set to resume later next month or in October.

Benoit says with Montreal mayor Gerald Tremblay offering salary increases over five years  of zero per cent the first year and then two per cent a year after that, they are far from a settlement.

As for going out on strike to back their demands....

"C'est un moyen de dernier recours."

Benoit insists it would only be a very last resort.