MONTRÉAL — Montreal's buses and metro trains ground to a halt Saturday as hundreds of striking public transit workers gathered downtown to press for improved pay and working conditions.

Montrealers who typically rely on public transit were forced to find alternatives after metro and bus drivers called a one-day strike — their first strike in 38 years.

Dozens of school buses could be seen dropping off workers wearing bright orange shirts in support of their union, which represents 4,500 bus drivers, metro operators and station agents.

Negotiations between the union and the city's transit network have been underway for months now, after the workers' contract expired in January.

Union president Frédéric Therrien blamed the labour dispute on the province's underfunding of the network, whic

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