Unionized engineers working on Toronto’s subways and across its wider transit system are on the brink of a strike as they struggle to reach a deal with the city’s transit agency.
Workers represented by CUPE Local 2 have already given their union a strike mandate, which could come as early as this weekend.
“What we’ve seen from the TTC so far is escalation, including moving to conciliation before meaningful negotiations even began and requesting a no-board report today, triggering a countdown toward a strike or lockout,” the union wrote in a statement.
“That raises serious questions about whether the focus is on bargaining or applying pressure to reach a deal ahead of the World Cup, at a time when our members are facing a cost-of-living crisis.”
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TTC CEO Mandeep Lali, however, said his agency was committed to finding a deal and avoiding either a strike or lockout.
“The TTC values the important and highly skilled work performed by CUPE Local 2 members,” he wrote in a statement.
“I began my career as a transit electrician, and I understand the safety-critical nature of this work. At the same time, the TTC has an obligation to manage public resources responsibly.”
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Lali said the union’s current proposal would cost $40 million more over the course of the next contract, funds he suggested the agency can’t afford.
“Taken together, the union’s proposal is not fair, reasonable or affordable for the TTC, and it is not aligned with what other TTC employees or most Torontonians can expect to earn over the next three years,” the CEO wrote.
“Advancing proposals of this scale makes reaching a negotiated settlement more difficult and frustrates progress at the bargaining table.”
The union will be in a strike position on Saturday, when the TTC will also be able to lock them out.
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