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The TTC (Toronto Transit Commission) is the public transit in Toronto. It moves ~1.5 million people daily.
The TTC has been under intense financial strain lately. They've cancelled a bunch of bus routes and reduced service and even contemplated closing the newest subway line to save on costs.
The union's contract expired. They're making outrageous demands. The contract offered by the TTC, and accepted by the union's leadership, ensured they'd be the highest paid transit workers in Ontario and even had a clause to ensure that if any of the other transit workers got a raise in the Toronto area, they'd get at least a match.
It also offered 3% pay increase per year for 3 years (the length of the contract). It improves benefits across the board.
The union leadership accepted the deal on Sunday. But now union members have overwhelmingly rejected it.
The union is supposed to give 48 hours notice before striking. At 11pm tonight, they announced they are striking effective midnight tonight.
**** these clowns, bust the damn union. I'm sick of this ****. You drive a frickin' bus/streetcar/subway, you're already making too much, how dare you cripple a city and hold it hostage for more money.
The TTC has been under intense financial strain lately. They've cancelled a bunch of bus routes and reduced service and even contemplated closing the newest subway line to save on costs.
The union's contract expired. They're making outrageous demands. The contract offered by the TTC, and accepted by the union's leadership, ensured they'd be the highest paid transit workers in Ontario and even had a clause to ensure that if any of the other transit workers got a raise in the Toronto area, they'd get at least a match.
It also offered 3% pay increase per year for 3 years (the length of the contract). It improves benefits across the board.
The union leadership accepted the deal on Sunday. But now union members have overwhelmingly rejected it.
The union is supposed to give 48 hours notice before striking. At 11pm tonight, they announced they are striking effective midnight tonight.
**** these clowns, bust the damn union. I'm sick of this ****. You drive a frickin' bus/streetcar/subway, you're already making too much, how dare you cripple a city and hold it hostage for more money.
TTC to strike at midnight
TONY BOCK/TORONTO STAR
A TTC streetcar driver continues down the Parliament route, April 25, 2008.
Apr 25, 2008 10:58 PM
Tess Kalinowski
Transportation Reporter
Torontonians will wake up Saturday to find themselves hijacked by a transit strike.
Subways, streetcars and buses were being taken out of service late Friday night after the TTC workers union overwhelmingly rejected a tentative contract settlement reached last Sunday.
Unionized transit workers were notified by electronic voice mail late Friday evening that they were not to report for their shifts effective at midnight.
The message warned that the public would be upset because it was not receiving 48 hours notice of a strike but that the last vote had not been cast until 10 p.m.
The rejected deal, which gave the 9,000 drivers, maintenance workers and mechanics a 3 per cent increase in each year of a three-year contract, only narrowly averted a strike Monday morning.
But it was no sooner ratified by elected transit commissioners on Wednesday, when cracks began to emerge in the union's support for the contract.
That's when some mechanics and maintenance workers complained about vague language around job security and contracting out. There were other reports that some workers were dissatisfied that only drivers were covered by a new GTA clause that ensured they would be the highest paid operators in the Toronto region.
Some sources tonight told the Star that union president Bob Kinnear's leadership was in crisis.
The union has been in a legal strike position since April 1 but had promised 48 hours notice of a service withdrawal.
Union officials were to hold a press conference at 11 tonight to explain their next move.
TONY BOCK/TORONTO STAR
A TTC streetcar driver continues down the Parliament route, April 25, 2008.
Apr 25, 2008 10:58 PM
Tess Kalinowski
Transportation Reporter
Torontonians will wake up Saturday to find themselves hijacked by a transit strike.
Subways, streetcars and buses were being taken out of service late Friday night after the TTC workers union overwhelmingly rejected a tentative contract settlement reached last Sunday.
Unionized transit workers were notified by electronic voice mail late Friday evening that they were not to report for their shifts effective at midnight.
The message warned that the public would be upset because it was not receiving 48 hours notice of a strike but that the last vote had not been cast until 10 p.m.
The rejected deal, which gave the 9,000 drivers, maintenance workers and mechanics a 3 per cent increase in each year of a three-year contract, only narrowly averted a strike Monday morning.
But it was no sooner ratified by elected transit commissioners on Wednesday, when cracks began to emerge in the union's support for the contract.
That's when some mechanics and maintenance workers complained about vague language around job security and contracting out. There were other reports that some workers were dissatisfied that only drivers were covered by a new GTA clause that ensured they would be the highest paid operators in the Toronto region.
Some sources tonight told the Star that union president Bob Kinnear's leadership was in crisis.
The union has been in a legal strike position since April 1 but had promised 48 hours notice of a service withdrawal.
Union officials were to hold a press conference at 11 tonight to explain their next move.
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