TORONTO — The union representing Toronto Transit Commission workers said its members will walk off the job at 12:01 a.m. Friday after seeing “no progress” in negotiations on a new contract today (Thursday, June 6). However, a subsequent union update has left some hope a strike could be averted.
Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113 represents 12,000 TTC workers — including subway and streetcar operators and bus drivers. The union said in a statement that it had not seen progress as of 5 p.m. ET, and that the TTC “has left us with no other choice” but to strike. But a later post on the union website says negotiations are continuing and “some progress has been made.”
The transit agency handles an average of 1.3 million riders per weekday, and a work stoppage will bring major disruptions for Toronto commuters. The CBC reports that ATU Local 113 President Marvin Alfred said at a press conference that there had been little change regarding job security, wages, and pensions, and that any movement “has strings attached and is not authentic. … You want to avert a strike? Then do something about it.”
The union and TTC have both said that, even with the midnight deadline, if a walkout occurs tonight, service will continue for buses and streetcars until about 2 a.m. Friday, while subways will run until between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. Both sides have previously agreed that Wheel-Trans service for those with disabilities will continue [see “Toronto could face transit strike on Friday,” News Wire, June 5, 2024].
