Electrical, trades workers set deadline for TTC strike
Employees have been without a contract since 2022
Roughly 700 TTC electrical and trades workers are preparing to strike.
After months of “frustrating” bargaining sessions, the workers, represented by CUPE Local 2, have set a strike deadline of 12:01 a.m. on April 22, according to a media release Thursday morning.
“None of us desire a strike, yet we’re left with no choice,” said Sumit Guleria, president of CUPE Local 2.
“Our services are critical for public safety and directly impact customer well-being. Fair recognition and treatment of our members’ invaluable contributions are imperative.”
If the strike goes through, it will be the first time in more than a decade that any unionized TTC employees have taken job action. The workers regained the right after a landmark 2023 court ruling that overturned a law banning TTC workers from striking.
The workers, who include streetcar overhead and subway signal maintainers, have been without a contract since 2022, and voted in favour of a strike mandate on Feb. 8. At the core of their demands are wages, which they want aligned with the steep cost of living and high inflation, the release said.
“We prioritize safety at every level within the TTC to ensure everyone can commute safely,” said Guleria. “It’s crucial that we never compromise on the quality of our work by cutting corners.”
In a February statement, CEO Rick Leary said the TTC hopes to come to an agreement with Local 2, but has contingency plans in place in case of any job action, which he admitted could hurt service.
“My top commitment remains the safety of our employees and customers, and delivering reliable service without compromise,” Leary said.
“However, I also believe that any job action could have an impact on the TTC’s ability to deliver full service without disruption.”
In May 2023, an Ontario Superior Court judge declared a 2011 law banning TTC employees from striking violated the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, ruling the benefits of prohibiting striking do not justify the loss of the right to meaningful collective bargaining.
In 2011, the Ontario government under then-premier Dalton McGuinty enacted a law, called the TTC Act, which prohibited unionized TTC workers from striking, after city council under mayor Rob Ford formally asked the province to designate the TTC an essential service.
In his decision, Justice William Chalmers found the TTC does not provide “essential services” and quashed the government’s argument that “the disruption of transit services in Toronto would ‘threaten serious harm’ or ‘endanger the life, personal safety or health’ of the whole, or part of the population.”