Montreal Transit's 2,200 maintenance workers are poised to walk off the job at midnight Monday if they don't get a new contract, a move that could affect hundreds of thousands of commuters.

Denis Bonneau — a spokesman for the Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN) — said Monday that at least the union and the Montreal Transit Commission are still talking and have finally begun salary negotiations.

"I can't tell you I'm very optimistic, but at least we're talking about the money side. So it's probably a good sign," Bonneau said.

If the workers walk off the job at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, the union has agreed to abide by a schedule outlined by the province's Essential Services Council on May 17.

• Buses and the Metro would offer full services during limited hours on weekdays: from six a.m. to nine a.m., 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and 11 p.m. to 1 a.m.
• There would also be some services on the weekends.
• The transit service for the disabled would run as usual, as it is deemed essential.

The employees have been working without a contract since January. They voted earlier this month to strike May 22 if a new deal isn't reached.

Wage increases and the corporation's pension plan are the main sticking points in negotiations. Workers are asking for a two-per-cent raise every year over the next three years.

The corporation is offering two per cent a year over a three-year period, but not starting until 2008.

Bonneau said recently that the maintenance workers want wage increases on a par with those won by workers in Laval and Longueuil in their most recent collective agreements.