Toronto transit strike averted as TTC, union announce last minute deal

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.

The Canadian Press