The Toronto Transit Commission said late Thursday “progress is being made” in bargaining talks with a union local that is poised to walk off the job if no deal is reached by its midnight strike deadline.
“Teams are working hard to reach a deal tonight,” TTC media relations said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, at 10 p.m.
At 9 p.m., TTC media relations had said: “Talks are productive, professional and progressing. We’re optimistic that a deal avoiding job action can be reached tonight.”
The optimism comes as the TTC and Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 113 continue to bargain for a new collective agreement for approximately 12,000 TTC workers. Wages, benefits and job security are at issue.
The TTC and the union local have until 12:01 a.m. Friday, a deadline set by the union local, to negotiate a new deal to avoid a strike.
A strike would bring subways, buses and streetcars to a halt, which would disrupt travel plans for commuters both in and outside of Toronto. The transit system averages 1.3 million riders per weekday, according to the May data posted in the CEO’s report.
Leaders of the TTC and ATU Local 113 are expected to hold a press conference after the deadline. If there is a news conference, you can watch it in the player above.
The union local expressed optimism of its own on Thursday evening.
At about 9:30 p.m., ATU Local 113 said it remains at the bargaining table.
“Further progress has been made and we will continue to provide updates as they occur,” the union local said.
At about 7:30 p.m., ATU Local 113 said it believed that “some progress” was being made in talks.
“ATU Local 113 continues negotiations with the TTC this evening,” the union local said in the update. “Some progress has been made and ATU Local 113 will provide an update on any further progress as it occurs this evening.”
The union had said in an earlier statement that “no progress” was being made at the table and the transit agency was leaving the union local with no other choice but to strike.
Workers represented by the union local include operators, fare collectors, maintenance and station staff and other frontline employees. They account for roughly three-quarters of the entire TTC workforce.
Both sides in talks since February
Despite the midnight deadline, the union and the TTC have said buses and streetcars will finish service around 2 a.m. Friday. Meanwhile, subway service will wind down between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. City officials have urged people to come up with a backup plan for getting around on Friday and beyond.
Wheel-Trans service for people with disabilities will continue to operate, both sides have confirmed.
Members of ATU Local 113 voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action in April, after their previous collective agreement expired on March 31.
The two sides had been in collective bargaining since February.
This is the first time unionized TTC workers have been 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.
Source Agencies
