Friday is the deadline for a possible Toronto Transit Commission strike

TORONTO — Toronto transit workers are headed for a strike Friday unless negotiations on key contract issues change drastically, their union president said Wednesday, while the transit agency said it remains optimistic it can reach an agreement.

Contract talks between the Toronto Transit Commission and the city’s largest transit workers’ union are approaching a strike deadline just after noon on Friday, raising the prospect of Toronto’s first transit strike since 2008.

ATU Local 113 President Marvin Alfred said the two sides were at an “impasse” Wednesday and suggested the union’s nearly 12,000 members were headed for a strike.

“Unless some things change drastically on some of our core issues … we’re going to strike on Friday,” he said, speaking from a downtown Toronto hotel where talks were taking place.

A strike could bring Canada’s most populous city to a screeching halt, scuppering travel plans for tens of thousands of commuters who depend on its subways, streetcars and buses.

Alfred said the union’s main sticking points in negotiations include wages, benefits and a range of job security issues. The union wants protections against contracting out jobs and handing over cross-border services to other transit operators in the Greater Toronto Area.

“We’re tired. We’re frustrated. We’re upset that it’s taking so long to get this deal done,” he said. “It’s not a matter of going to the wire if you want to be honest.”

TTC spokesman Stuart Green said the transit agency was optimistic a deal could be reached before Friday’s deadline, but said it was “likely to go through.”

“We believe there is enough goodwill at the table that we can reach an agreement that strikes the right balance. That respects the work that our union members do, which is challenging, important frontline work, but also something that is accessible. for the city of Toronto,” he said.

Neither side provided details on the terms proposed in the negotiations. The two sides have agreed to continue operating Wheel-Trans, the city’s paratransit service for people with disabilities, if there is job action.

A more than decade-long strike ban for TTC workers was recently lifted after a judge found a provincial law labeling essential workers unconstitutional. Last month, the Court of Appeal for Ontario dismissed an appeal brought by the province and upheld the workers’ right to strike.

Premier Doug Ford said Wednesday he wants a TTC strike to be avoided “at all costs.” Asked if he would introduce legislation, he said: “let’s first hope and pray that they don’t go on strike.”

The last strike in 2008 ended after less than two days when the provincial government held a special weekend meeting to legislate union members back to work. Several other ATU Local 113 job actions, including a record 23-day strike in 1970 and a 45-day campaign to drive to government in 1989, ended in legislation.

Beck, a Toronto taxi company, said it would be operating at full capacity Friday but could not guarantee wait times. A spokesman also said that while the city has given the company the power to overcharge, it has pledged not to use the practice.

An Uber spokesperson said it will offer drivers incentives to try to increase ride availability and encourage customers to use the group ride feature. The company said it would also limit surge pricing, the multiplier it adds to fares when there are more requests for rides than Uber drivers.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on June 5, 2024.

Jordan Omstead, Canadian Press