Right to strike was crucial in TTC talks, deal expected to be ratified: union head
Jordan Omstead
Fri, June 7, 2024
TORONTO — Toronto transit workers' recently restored right to strike was crucial in eleventh-hour contract negotiations with the city's transit agency, the president of their union said Friday as he expressed confidence members would ratify a finalized tentative deal.
Contract talks between ATU Local 113 and the Toronto Transit Commission went down to the wire, with the two sides announcing a tentative deal minutes before a midnight strike deadline.
The deal was signed off on by the union's executive early Friday and will be put before its nearly 12,000 members for ratification, said ATU Local 113 president Marvin Alfred.
"I'm absolutely confident that this will be endorsed," he said in an interview.
A strike would have brought transit in Canada's most populous city to a grinding halt, idling the TTC's fleet of subways, streetcars and buses, while clogging Toronto's already congested roadways with extra traffic.
The power of the union's strike threat was apparent in the last hours of negotiations, Alfred said.
"At the end, it truly showed itself, that leverage," he said.
This round of bargaining was the first since a provincial strike ban on TTC workers was lifted after a court ruled it unconstitutional, a decision upheld last month by the Court of Appeal for Ontario.
The union had blamed that provincial law, which made their members essential workers, for a deteriorating relationship with management and declining engagement from the rank and file.
TTC CEO Rick Leary said he was "extremely pleased" the two sides reached a deal, avoiding any job action and service disruptions.
"This is a fair deal that is affordable for the TTC and respectful of the important work the 11,500 members of ATU Local 113 do every day to keep our system safe and our service reliable," he wrote in a statement.
Neither side shared any specifics of the agreement with it still to be approved by the TTC board and ratified by the union membership.
The deal also avoids a major political dilemma for Mayor Olivia Chow, whose pro-labour credentials helped her garner the transit union's endorsement in last year's election, said Larry Savage, a Brock University labour studies professor.
If the strike had gone ahead, Chow may have been left to decide if or when to ask for back-to-work legislation after the province signalled Thursday it would only draft such a bill on her request. The last TTC strike in 2008 ended after less than two days when the provincial government legislated employees back to work on the mayor's request.
"Chow definitely dodges a bullet," Savage said.
Speaking to reporters Friday, Chow said she was briefed throughout negotiations and had remained optimistic an agreement would be reached.
"I'm very, very glad that we have a deal," she said.
Chow also suggested the 2011 strike ban may have contributed to the complexity of the negotiations. The last two rounds of negotiations, in 2018 and 2021, were sent to arbitration.
"There had been a lot of different demands that had been on the table for a long, long time. And because of that history, it's complex, there are many issues. So that's probably why it's taken a long time," she said.
One of the most obvious beneficiaries, however, are transit riders and the wider public who overwhelmingly wanted a deal, said Savage, the labour studies professor.
It's also good for both sides who, at least for now, avoid an imposed agreement, such as through arbitration or back-to-work legislation, that could seed resentment in the labour relationship.
Union leadership will be put in the delicate position of bringing the deal to a membership it spent months building up for a fight, Savage said. Last-minute de-escalation can have a "disorienting effect for workers," he said.
"At the end of the day it will all depend on the content of this ... agreement," he said.
Yet, Alfred, the union president, said he was confident the deal would be endorsed. While he was tight-lipped on specifics, he said the union was able to get improved benefits and wages, and action on its job security issues.
The union had long expressed issues with a plan to allow other Greater Toronto transit agencies to provide open-door service in Toronto along cross-boundary bus corridors. Other transit agencies, such as Mississauga's Miway or York Region Transit, have been barred from picking up passengers within Toronto city limits on Toronto-bound trips, or dropping them off in Toronto on the way out.
The TTC has said service integration would remove duplicate service and allow them to reallocate it elsewhere. The union, meanwhile, was concerned the plan was akin to contracting out those corridors to other agencies and could end up reducing TTC service on the whole.
Alfred said the union was able to get some protections from the TTC on those issues in negotiations.
"We were able to make sure that does not further encroach upon access to Toronto routes," he said.
As of Friday afternoon, the union had not announced the date of its ratification vote.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 7, 2024.
Jordan Omstead, The Canadian Press
The Canadian Press
Thu, June 6, 2024
TORONTO — A strike that would have nearly shut down Toronto's public transit system has been averted, after the transit workers union and TTC announced a last minute deal following months of negotiations.
Contract talks went down to the wire, but minutes before a midnight deadline ATU Local 113 said it had reached a deal with the Toronto Transit Commission that includes progress on key issues.
"Our demands have been reasonable. We asked the TTC for assurance on job security, for protections on contracting out our jobs, for improvement in benefits for active members and pensioners," the union said in a statement.
"Today we finally saw action on these critical issues," it added.
ATU Local 113 said a strike was now "on hold" as it works "through details and to arrive at a fair and reasonable contract that we can recommend to our members to ratify."
In a statement, TTC CEO Rick Leary said he was "extremely pleased that we’ve been able to reach a tentative framework settlement."
"This is a fair deal that is affordable for the TTC and respectful of the important work the 11,500 members of ATU Local 113 do every day to keep our system safe and our service reliable," he added.
Leary said details of the agreement cannot be shared yet, pending union ratification and approval from the TTC board.
A strike would have brought Canada's most populous city to a grinding halt, idling the TTC's fleet of subways, streetcars and buses, while clogging Toronto's already congested roadways with extra traffic.
The last TTC strike in 2008 ended after less than two days when the provincial government legislated employees back to work on the mayor's request.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 6, 2024.
TTC strike averted as union local announces 'framework settlement' with transit agency\
CBC
Thu, June 6, 2024
A Toronto Transit Commission streetcar glides along with the downtown Toronto skyline in the background on Thursday, June 6, 2024. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press - image credit)
A union local that represents nearly 12,000 Toronto Transit Commission workers says it has struck a "framework settlement" with management, averting a strike that would have caused chaos for millions of commuters.
The Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 113 said in an update shortly after 11:30 p.m. that the framework settlement allows allows it to put a planned strike on hold. The union local had planned to strike just after midnight Friday if no deal had been reached with the TTC.
As a result, the TTC transit system's buses, streetcars and subways will run normally on Friday.
"We will continue to work through details and to arrive at a fair and reasonable contract that we can recommend to our members to ratify," ATU Local 113 said in the update.
"Our demands have been reasonable. We asked the TTC for assurance on job security, for protections on contracting out our jobs, for improvement in benefits for active members and pensioners. Today we finally saw action on these critical issues."
The union local said it would continue to provide updates as things progress.
Commuters ride the TTC ahead of a transit strike deadline in Toronto on June 6, 2024.
Commuters ride the TTC ahead of a transit strike deadline in Toronto on June 6, 2024. (Evan Mitsui/CBC)
Marvin Alfred, president of ATU Local 113, told reporters that the mood at the bargaining table, despite the framework, has been one of frustration.
"There is a culture here where we have an employer that stands in the way of progress," Alfred said. "At times it feels as though they're not really aligned with us in providing any sort of opportunities for transit delivered in a comprehensive way. We are frustrated."
Alfred said the framework covers a three year period until March 2027.
Coun. Jamaal Myers, chair of the TTC board, said both sides reached a "tentative agreement."
"Most importantly, this deal will keep Toronto moving," Myers said.
TTC CEO Rick Leary said the tentative deal is a good one for employees, the city and transit agency.
"This is a good deal for the city and our hard working employees," Leary said. "For the next three years, we have guaranteed service."
Leary said the tentative deal is a positive development.
"Nobody wanted a strike tomorrow," he said.
The union represents operators, fare collectors, maintenance and station staff and other frontline employees who account for roughly three-quarters of all TTC staff.
The two sides had been in collective bargaining since February, with union representatives saying previously that wages, benefits and job security were the main sticking points in talks.
Union members voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action in April, after their previous collective agreement expired at the end of March.
This was the first time unionized TTC workers were in a legal strike position since 2011. Last year, an Ontario Superior Court judge ruled that a 2011 law that forbade them from walking off the job was unconstitutional.
Thu, June 6, 2024
A Toronto Transit Commission streetcar glides along with the downtown Toronto skyline in the background on Thursday, June 6, 2024. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press - image credit)
A union local that represents nearly 12,000 Toronto Transit Commission workers says it has struck a "framework settlement" with management, averting a strike that would have caused chaos for millions of commuters.
The Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 113 said in an update shortly after 11:30 p.m. that the framework settlement allows allows it to put a planned strike on hold. The union local had planned to strike just after midnight Friday if no deal had been reached with the TTC.
As a result, the TTC transit system's buses, streetcars and subways will run normally on Friday.
"We will continue to work through details and to arrive at a fair and reasonable contract that we can recommend to our members to ratify," ATU Local 113 said in the update.
"Our demands have been reasonable. We asked the TTC for assurance on job security, for protections on contracting out our jobs, for improvement in benefits for active members and pensioners. Today we finally saw action on these critical issues."
The union local said it would continue to provide updates as things progress.
Commuters ride the TTC ahead of a transit strike deadline in Toronto on June 6, 2024.
Commuters ride the TTC ahead of a transit strike deadline in Toronto on June 6, 2024. (Evan Mitsui/CBC)
Marvin Alfred, president of ATU Local 113, told reporters that the mood at the bargaining table, despite the framework, has been one of frustration.
"There is a culture here where we have an employer that stands in the way of progress," Alfred said. "At times it feels as though they're not really aligned with us in providing any sort of opportunities for transit delivered in a comprehensive way. We are frustrated."
Alfred said the framework covers a three year period until March 2027.
Coun. Jamaal Myers, chair of the TTC board, said both sides reached a "tentative agreement."
"Most importantly, this deal will keep Toronto moving," Myers said.
TTC CEO Rick Leary said the tentative deal is a good one for employees, the city and transit agency.
"This is a good deal for the city and our hard working employees," Leary said. "For the next three years, we have guaranteed service."
Leary said the tentative deal is a positive development.
"Nobody wanted a strike tomorrow," he said.
The union represents operators, fare collectors, maintenance and station staff and other frontline employees who account for roughly three-quarters of all TTC staff.
The two sides had been in collective bargaining since February, with union representatives saying previously that wages, benefits and job security were the main sticking points in talks.
Union members voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action in April, after their previous collective agreement expired at the end of March.
This was the first time unionized TTC workers were in a legal strike position since 2011. Last year, an Ontario Superior Court judge ruled that a 2011 law that forbade them from walking off the job was unconstitutional.
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