TTC Chair Jamaal Myers said Thursday that job action by TTC workers would be “devastating” for riders if no deal is reached to avert a possible strike.
“Job action will likely lead to service disruptions and/or cancellations for TTC customers,” Myers said in a written statement Thursday, a day after ATU Local 113 requested a no-board report from the Ministry of Labour.
The union represents 12,000 front-line TTC workers and has been in negotiations with the TTC for months to try and reach a new deal. The no-board report starts the clock ticking on a 14-day period, after which the union could launch a strike if no deal is reached.
“As a TTC rider myself, I understand personally how devastating these job actions will be for our customers and I apologize and empathize with the inconvenience and hardship this will inevitably cause,” Myers said in his statement.
But in speaking with reporters Thursday ahead of a TTC Board meeting, he said he nonetheless remains optimistic that a deal can still be reached.
“What I can say is that both parties are at the bargaining table where they belong. We are encouraged to see that the bargaining is going on and I just want to reiterate that we were able to strike deals with all of the (other) unions so far,” Myers said.
“So we expect – through bargaining, through collaboration – that we will be able to reach a fair deal for both sides.”
However he did acknowledge that contingency plans are in place in case of a strike, which could come as soon as June 2.
ATU Local 113 members voted overwhelmingly in support of a strike mandate at the end of April. Their last contract expired on March 31.
This is the first time in years that they have been able to negotiate a deal with the possibility of a strike after a court last year struck down the province’s designation of the TTC as an essential service.
The last transit strike at the TTC occurred in 2008.
