STM top execs got average of 5% in salary raises last year
Chairman Philippe Schnobb says the raises are in line with what execs would earn elsewhere
Montreal's transit authority gave its top executives salary increases averaging of 5 per cent last year despite the announcement in January that the STM would be cutting back on services to make up a $65 million shortfall.
The figures were made public at the end of June in the STM's 2013 annual report.
The raises come after the STM cut bus service for the first time since the 1990s. It also cut some cleaning services and reduced staffing at some station entrances. Fares were also raised.
Director Carl Desrosiers was the highest paid executive at the STM last year, making $318,212.12 — a 5.5 per cent increase over 2012. The lowest paid executive, public affairs director Odile Paradis, made $169,305.76.
Board chairman Philippe Schnobb said those salary rates are not out of the ordinary considering the role and responsibilities the executives have.
"We're not ashamed of those salaries because those people would make the same kind of money if they would be in other companies," Schnobb said.
He said the board will take this year's budgetary reality into consideration when deciding future salary increases.
Other highlights from the STM's annual report for 2013:
- Metro delays down by 13 per cent.
- Customer satisfaction for metro users down seven per cent.
- Customer satisfaction for bus users down three per cent.