The TTC is operating as normal Friday after the union that represents nearly 12,000 Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) workers says it agreed to a deal 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. Thursday that it agreed on a “framework settlement” for a new contract that allows it to put a strike on hold. The union local had planned to strike just after midnight if no deal had been reached with the TTC.
But on Friday morning, ATU Local 113 president Marvin Alfed confirmed the agreement had turned into a deal overnight, with talks going until 4 a.m.
It’s a tune completely different from just a day before, when Alfred said the TTC made little progress in addressing its main issues, including job security.
“As the evening progressed, they started, you know, stripping away some of their strings attached and some of their barriers to getting a deal,” he told CBC Radio’s Metro Morning on Friday.
“We have something signed, but we’re still preparing and making sure we can having something tangible for our membership.”
The union representing Toronto transit workers has reached a deal with the Toronto Transit Commission, meaning the city’s 1.3 million transit users are likely breathing a sigh of relief and won’t have to make alternate arrangements on their Friday commutes.
Framework covers 3 year period, union, TTC say
Alfred said the framework covers a three year period until March 31, 2027. He wouldn’t provide details of the framework, saying there is more work to do before the union thinks about a schedule for ratification.
He said transit riders should be relieved that there is no strike, but he blamed the TTC for not agreeing to a framework earlier.
Coun. Jamaal Myers, chair of the TTC board, said both sides reached a “tentative agreement.” He said he hopes the board will approve the agreement at its next meeting.
“This deal reflects the commitment to maintaining high standards of service for transit riders, while also valuing the hard work that ATU Local 113 members perform each and every day,” Myers said.
“Torontonians and their families can sleep tonight with comfort knowing that the TTC will be there for them.”
ATU Local 113 president Marvin Alfred spoke to reporters after the union local that represents some three quarters of the agency’s workers said it had reached a “framework settlement” with the TTC that allowed it to put a planned strike on hold.
TTC CEO Rick Leary said the tentative deal is a good one for employees, the city and the transit agency.
“For the next three years, we have confirmed service in the city with the TTC,” Leary said. “Nobody wanted a strike.”
“We still have to dot the I’s and cross the T’s. You can imagine there’s lot of wording that has to be confirmed, but that’s a normal process when it comes to bargaining and negotiating, and over the coming weeks.”
Leary said the deal will have to be ratified by the union rank and file before it’s taken to the TTC board. In a statement, Leary added that the TTC is not prepared to talk about specifics of the deal before then.
CBC News spoke to transit riders at Greenwood station Friday morning, with many saying they were relieved to find out the TTC would be operating normally.
“I’m glad they came to an agreement,” said Krishna Kolamu, who takes the transit system daily. “They got [what] they want, and then we get to take TTC.”
TTC Chair Jamaal Myers and CEO Rick Leary expressed confidence that the framework settlement reached with the union representing around 12,000 transit workers will guarantee service on Toronto’s public transit system for the next three years.
Mayor pleased with a deal
In a statement Friday morning, Mayor Olivia Chow said she was “pleased” the two sides reached a deal, thanking them for their work.
“This ensures no disruption to the public transit service the people of Toronto rely on every day,” said Chow.
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, and that was upheld by the province’s top court last month.