Updated Sat. Apr. 26 2008 12:27 AM ET

ctvtoronto.ca

Toronto Transit Commission workers voted down a tentative contract agreement late Friday night and shortly thereafter walked off the job in a surprise strike.

The TTC's largest union, which represents nearly 9,000 workers, rejected the tentative agreement with management that was reached last week -- with 65 per cent of members voting it down.

Bob Kinnear, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113, said the suddenness of the walkout was to protect workers.

"We have assessed the situation and decided that we will not expose our members to the dangers of assaults from angry and irrational members of the public," Kinnear said in a press release.

"The reports from our members of increases in threats and abuse from passengers last weekend, after we gave our original 48-hours' notice, has left us no choice but to withdraw our services immediately. We have a legal responsibility to protect the safety of our members and so does the TTC."

Toronto Mayor David Miller, in a late-night press conference, called the strike action "unacceptable" and "unnecessary."

Miller said the union had promised 48 hours notice before any strike action but that Kinnear wouldn't honour the commitment when urged Friday.

"This is unacceptable and it's also irresponsible," said Miller.

Miller said he has spoken to Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty and requested the provincial government's assistance in introducing back-to-work legislation.

"Premier McGuinty has agreed to do so, but of course this will be subject to the legislature approving," said Miller.

The union said it will conduct a media conference following its executive board meeting on Saturday morning.

The union was recommending its members accept the three-year deal forged last Sunday. The deal, ratified later in the week, included annual three per cent wage increases.

A sticking point during the talks was a demand that workers who are injured on the job receive full pay if they are unable to work.

TTC riders react

The strike outraged some riders who were made aware of the situation late Friday.

"On the weekend I take it, I don't have a car so it's a big inconvenience," one TTC user told CTV Toronto. "The fact that they announced it Friday at 10:30 p.m. -- that's terrible."

Another rider said the TTC needs to be deemed an essential service.

"More people have interaction with the TTC on a daily basis than they do with hospitals or the police force and if that does not make it an essential service then I don't know what does," said the man.

A streetcar driver said union members "didn't want this for the public."

"We want them to know that it's not the money," he said. "It's not that at all."

CTVNews

So the guys are injured at work at then get no pay for the time they are off to recover? Seems very unfair to me!

Gravity, right now, they are injured on the job, and get 75% of their pay.
There are others, like myself, and 99% of the Security Guards in ONTARIO that are forced to take unpaid sickdays when injured, or assaulted on the job. And I"m sorry, but Security Guards are abused MORE then Bus drivers.

That is totally weird to me, not getting paid for getting injured on the job no less. I might understand if you broke your leg off the job and had no long term insurance plan from work. Toronto is a huge city geographically so unless emergency legislation doesn't come in on the weekend, it'll be a ghost town come Monday.

TORONTO - The Ontario legislature* met in a rare session Sunday and passed legislation forcing an end to a two-day strike by TTC workers that crippled commuting in Canada's largest city.

The legislation passed unanimously to order 9,000 striking transit employees to return to their jobs, meaning buses, subways and streetcars were expected to be rolling by mid-evening Sunday.

"We are acting in the best interest of all of Ontario," Premier Dalton McGuinty said in the legislature.

"It goes without saying that Toronto, our capital city, plays an important role. That is why we are bringing this legislation today."

All three provincial parties supported the back-to-work legislation, however only 65 of 107 provincial politicians were present for the emergency session.

"We encourage the TTC and its unions to continue bargaining and to reach mutually acceptable agreements. At the same time, we cannot stand by while the dispute shuts down the vital transportation system in Toronto, affecting millions of people and businesses," said Labour Minister Brad Duguid.

The legislation requires all outstanding issues to be sent to binding mediation-arbitration. The TTC and each of its three unions have five days to agree on a mediator-arbitrator, or one will be appointed by the province.

"I'm very pleased we will have transit service restored today," said Toronto Mayor David Miller.

"In fact, TTC workers are returning to their jobs as we speak."

MPP Peter Shurman from Thornhill said there is anger over the strike.

"My anger is an expression of what I'm hearing in Toronto. People are angry at the union, they are angry at the mayor David Miler, they are angry at TTC chair Adam Giambrone. They are angry at the point that essential service are being heard."


Conservative Leader John Tory said union members should consider whether their executive acted appropriately.

"The average operator or driver would not have found it reasonable to start this strike without consideration of the travelling public," Tory told reporters.

"I think it might be up to them to take some of their leadership out in the back and give them a horsewhipping."

NDP Leader Howard Hampton said he believes in collective bargaining and that back-to-work legislation should be avoided unless you have extraordinary circumstances.

"We support this legislation. We do not support it without reservation," he said.

"When people who work for the TTC and fear for their job, that is a real issue."

"There are some issues that probably cannot be dealt with at the negotiating table."

The transit strike stranded thousands of people in downtown Toronto on Friday night and set the stage for traffic chaos during the weekend.

"I want to apologize on behalf of the TTC to our customers," TTC chairman Adam Giambrone said Saturday. "We didn't expect this contract to be turned down. Clearly we were not able to get word out fast enough. . . to thousands of people who were downtown last night."

Union president Bob Kinnear cited dissatisfaction with worker safety as the union's reason for withdrawing service.

"We have assessed the situation and decided that we will not expose our members to the dangers of assaults from angry and irrational members of the public," he said in a news release.

"The reports from our members of increases in threats and abuse from passengers last weekend, after we gave our original 48-hours' notice, has left us no choice but to withdraw our services immediately.

"We have a legal responsibility to protect the safety of our members and so does the TTC."

Following the passage of the law, officials from the union representing signal maintenance, communications and electrical workers at the Toronto Transit Commission, said they are looking to reach a negotiated settlement despite back-to-work legislation.

"We believe fundamentally in free collective bargaining, which benefits workers, employers and overall labour relations in the workplace," said CUPE Local 2 President Mike Santos. "To that end, we are expecting to meet as scheduled with TTC negotiators to resolve the outstanding issues."

Natinal Post

* This is similar to the State Senate in the USA.
Also note, that in the last 30 years they have met on Sunday only 6 times or so. I can't find exact numbers, but they are saying Sunday Sittings are next to non-existant.

Seems like changing the rules halfway through the game and only telling one team. Essential services should not be distrupted by union disputes though. Imagine if hospitals for examples got shut down...that could be life threatening.

Lawmakers everywhere seem to only take some aspects into account and have in this case totally ignored the issues affecting he transit workers. Way better to legislate for fair treatment of workers as that would go much further to avoiding this sort of conflict. There would need be a process of consultation with all involved before that though and hopefully that happens now. Afterall, these are state workers one is talking about in this case and there must be far more similar inequities in the private sector. So who represents them and their interests? I always thought of Canadians being more enlightened in many respects.

Grav!ty wrote:

Seems like changing the rules halfway through the game and only telling one team. Essential services should not be distrupted by union disputes though. Imagine if hospitals for examples got shut down...that could be life threatening. Lawmakers everywhere seem to only take some aspects into account and have in this case totally ignored the issues affecting he transit workers. Way better to legislate for fair treatment of workers as that would go much further to avoiding this sort of conflict. There would need be a process of consultation with all involved before that though and hopefully that happens now. Afterall, these are state workers one is talking about in this case and there must be far more similar inequities in the private sector. So who represents them and their interests? I always thought of Canadians being more enlightened in many respects.

It's illegal for air traffic controllers to strike in America.