April 27, 2008
TTC Strike Status: Strike Ends Sunday Night
Torontoist is following the TTC's strike, using our own reporting, other local news sources, and any other resources available to us to keep this article updated continually with the latest information. Use the TTC Strike tag to view Torontoist's other strike coverage, or view our list of online resources to see coverage, photos, videos, and ideas elsewhere.
Russell (Connaught) Carhouse, Sunday, 12 p.m. Photo by somebody_ from the Torontoist Flickr Pool.
Current Status: Strike Over
LATEST UPDATE: Earlier today, the provincial government—with Liberal, PC, and NDP support—passed legislation forcing TTC employees back to work in time for service to resume on Sunday night. Subways, buses, and streetcars are now running city-wide, and Monday morning will see the TTC running as normal, with full service. We're happy to have it back.
Last updated on April 27 at 9:00 p.m.
Spadina Station, Saturday, 6:45 a.m. Photo by Cy Goldsbie, featured in this Torontoist article.
Late on Friday, April 26, the TTC union rejected the tentative agreement that had been reached the previous weekend, with 65% of its members voting against the proposed terms. Just before 11:00 p.m. on Friday night, the union issued a news release stating that "a strike will begin as of midnight tonight." (The TTC released details of that rejected agreement at 12:30 a.m.—it had previously been under wraps.) All TTC service—save for selected Wheel-Trans service—was shut down from midnight Friday to Sunday evening.
Bob Kinnear, president of TTC employees' union (Local 113, of the Amalgamated Transit Union) said in the union's release last night that: "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 defended the short notice, saying that "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."
At an address just after midnight, with Chair Adam Giambrone at his side, David Miller praised the original offer, calling it "fair," and made it clear that he was unhappy with the union's refusal to give 48-hours' notice, blaming Kinnear for refusing to honour his commitment. Miller also announced that Dalton McGuinty had agreed to move to legislate the union back to work, says Miller, "at his earliest opportunity."
Roncesvalles Carhouse, Saturday, 7:13 a.m. Photo by bigdaddyhame from the Torontoist Flickr Pool.
Twelve hours later, McGuinty followed through, issuing an order for Ontario Legislature to hold an emergency meeting at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday. Both John Tory and Howard Hampton declared their support for the proposed legislation.
Meanwhile, the TTC and its union returned to negotiations at the Sheraton Parkway hotel just after noon on Saturday. According to Global, "the Union is deeply split and the strike may have been orchestrated by union members seeking to embarrass or oust ATU President Bob Kinnear." Talks ended just after 6 p.m. and the TTC issued a statement at 6:19 p.m. declaring that it had considered the union's new demands, "but [that] they were significantly different from, and more expensive than what was tentatively agreed to last Sunday. The union was informed of this; they then indicated no further discussion would be productive. The release encouraged the cooperation of the public, requesting that they "please remember that TTC employees have a right to be treated with dignity. The TTC shares the public's frustration with the lack of TTC service this weekend; however, its workers' safety is paramount."
Just before 2 p.m., the proposed legislation was quickly passed (and made law by Lieutenant Governor David Onley—at the Air Canada Centre during a Toronto FC game, no less). The NDP, PC, and Liberals all supported it, though the NDP had "reservations"—they wanted to make it clear that the issue of declaring the TTC an essential service was a separate matter, to be debated at another time (and that they would not support essential service legislation should it be proposed). All party leaders, and the TTC, urged Torontonians to be nice to the workers when they come back to work.
Earlier in the day, the TTC had informed workers to show up for their Sunday night shifts if legislation passed; once it did pass, the TTC announced that it was
"working hard to restore service as quickly as possible," likely within three to four hours from the announcement (so, by 5 or 6 p.m.) so it could "bring the service up to safe, normal operating standards." Monday morning will see the TTC running as normal, with full service. TTC Chair Adam Giambrone (first spotted by the Post and Spacing) changed his Facebook statuswas, at one point in the afternoon, "Adam is looking forward to full service resuming at TTC TODAY if the back to work legislation passes. Likely service would be up and running by 9pm"; Giambrone reiterated his comments to media later, saying that service would resume between 8 and 9 p.m. At 4:15 p.m., one Torontoist reader spotted a bus back on the road.
Bay Station, Friday, 11:53 p.m. Photos by David Topping.
Torontoist went to Bay station just before midnight on Friday, and found the bulk of the doors leading into the station locked, as an announcement was broadcast over the TTC's PA system about the strike. Commuters who tried to beat the deadline weren't able to get inside, while many more—who hadn't heard of the strike at all—were surprised (and, unsurprisingly, frustrated). At 11:53, a TTC employee ascended the escalator to the station's Bay Street exit and hurriedly locked the last door (photos above).
The Globe and Mail broke news of the strike at 10:22 p.m. Friday night, pointing to the union's chaotic Wednesday meeting as the beginning of the TTC's end. The TTC's website was updated only minutes before midnight to alert riders to the news—and mistakenly reported that shuttle buses were running in lieu of subway service (they weren't).
Transit advocate Steve Munro also contributed his thoughts to his blog, pointing to the union's problems of internal and external communication concluding that: "I am deeply disappointed. Once again, the cause of transit is set back by events that have nothing to do with improving the system." An operator weighed in in the comments, as well, providing an as-of-yet unheard insider's view, attempting to downplay Kinnear's responsibility for the strike and, instead, blame miscommunication over the terms of the offered agreement. (When the TTC released details of that rejected agreement after the strike was called, it included a statement about one particularly contentious issue—contracting out labor for maintenance workers—saying that "There has been discussion in the media that the TTC was attempting to contract out repairs to buses under warranty in an attempt to reduce jobs at the TTC. That is not true. The facts are this: the manufacturer is responsible for certain repairs to buses that are under warranty. TTC employees currently do a substantial amount of warranty work that is charged back to the bus manufacturer." TTC General Manager Gary Webster repeated that message to the Globe.)
Just before 5:00 p.m., Giambrone updated his Facebook status to read that he "is relieved to have seen his first operating streetcar in 2 days! Thanks everyone for your understanding this last two days!" The strike may have left a bad taste in the mouths of many—the public, politicians, and TTC workers alike—but we're finally on our way. Here's hoping that the TTC remains the better way.
With additional reporting from Jonathan Goldsbie.
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That's one in the eye for Bob Kinnear.
The news is popping up on other local news sites now.
Bring on the red bar!
You know what, screw this. I'm moving to Europe. They seem to have more competence on the transit scene. The politicians, unions, and everything in between in this city are just pathetic and are really pissing me off.
How do we expect transit to ever become a viable alternative to the car if it's going to be so easy to just flip the switch and deny service to millions of people for no good reason other than greedy and selfish ones.
I thought we were going to get 48 hours notice?
Let's strike against them and ride our bikes for the rest of the year.
So anyone who may be relying on the TTC for getting home from a party/bar/work/whatever tonight is effectively screwed? Nice one, transit union.
Ronald Reagan. Air Traffic Controllers.
Goddamn it! That giant sucking sound you hear is this city going down the tubes. God, I wish I didn't have to rely on these assholes to get to work.
This is bullshit. My sister is at a birthday in North York. How the hell do they expect her to get home?
Fuck you, Bob Kinnear. Rot in hell.
According to the union when they gave 48 hours notice people didn't take it too well and yelled at drivers, so in a brilliant PR move they decided this time they would just strand people downtown at midnight instead and avoid commuter anger.
They must have confused us with goldfish, because we will remember this.
My fiancee and I are supposed to be going to the Toronto FC game tomorrow. I guess I'll have to shell out for cab fare for at least part of the journey. If the union won't agree to a deal with Miller and Giambrone in charge, what do they think will happen when the political pendulum swings back to the right? This may just be the impetus for more automation and privatization for the TTC, rightly or wrongly.
Only a group of people as out-of-touch and entitled as TTC workers would find a 3% per year wage increase with a guarantee to be the highest paid workers in the GTA unacceptable.
And for them to strand thousands of people downtown at midnight with no advanced warning? That's absolutely disgusting.
This is just dangerous. There is no way that people could know about this. I'm worried about people at parties, clubs and bars trying to get home. Leaving the subway at 11:40 tonight we encountered 3 people who had no idea why their metro passes weren't working but luckily had cell phones and enough money for a taxi. This is NOT 48 hours notice and the TTC have just lost a whole lot of sympathy from the people of Toronto.
also what is with the TTC/Union PR? Launching a campaign on the day a possible future strike is announced? Not a good idea. promising 48 hours and then not delivering also a piss poor bit of public relations and customer service. We want to like you TTC. I believe that the people of Toronto want to believe and fully endorse their public transit system but you make it so hard.
Well, it is a shame to use up the fossil fuels... but if it is a choice between riding with the greedy, rude, lazy, racist, "union" thugs (really a cartel, pretending to be a labor union), then yeah fuck it, I am driving my car!
Basically, no one should have to fear being disrespected, humiliated, and harassed in order to enjoy public services, but that is not an option in Toronto. The union has a gun to the head of the public, and so they get away with murder. When I can be treated like a human being with dignity and respect, then I may ride the TTC, but that is highly unlikely in my lifetime.
There will never be a viable and trustworthy transit system in Toronto until all the good-ol-boys there now are fired, and replaced with people who don't have a "war on the city" mentality.
Hopefully, this will be the wakeup call the city needs to finally break up this anti-democratic cartel that is extorting the most vulnerable people of Toronto!!!
I'm not sure there were many people in Toronto left who were sympathetic to the union, but they're sure as hell made sure there aren't any now.
There are going to be some really vulnerable people stuck without a way to get home tonight. If the TTC isn't designated as an essential service after this...
I see it is 12:10 a.m. in Toronto right now, and I suppose all the busses, streetcars, and trains are returning to their depots. Since TTC employees work for us, the citizens, the "public" in "public transit", I hope the government comes through with its plan to designate this as an essential service and order them back to work.
I also happen to support unions and employees right to organise. But striking is not the only collective action that can be taken to use during negotiations.
Not to mention the fact as recalled here before, that TTC employees are not exactly hard-done-by. There is no child labour, and employees can enjoy short, 8-hour days.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knights_of_Labor
Government labour laws protect all of us from the worst offenses. And the TTC union depriving us of mass transit for the sake of negotiation over 50 cents (or whatever) offends me.
Cheers,
Tuds
Good for the maintenance workers, they were going to get shafted in the deal. I was talking to a friend that works for the TTC who did not think they had the numbers this morning to reject the offer and when I talked to him just after 11 PM tonight he said it was a go. When they gave 48 hours the last time around I was with having lunch with TTC workers and we all said with the 48 hours notice that the drivers were at serious risk, and if we were drivers we all have started calling in sick. They have the right to strike and until it is removed they are allowed to use this tool to fight for their rights.
Hm, would I be considered a scab if I _volunteered_ to drive a bus or a streetcar? I'd love to get behind the wheel of one of those things!
Please, Acadie. Why shouldn't we outsource the maintenance department? Why should I, as a taxpayer and rider of the TTC, be forced to pay the people who work in the maintenance department above-market wages to do what they do?
Good on the TTC for trying to keep its costs on control. Shame on the union for its continued view of the public as a piggy bank to be fleeced at every opportunity.
Oh, yes, this is a bright move. Nice one, Kinnear. You thought the passengers were angry and abusive BEFORE? You have no idea.
A pox on them.
I was downtown at 11 and was gonna see a movie at 12:45. My dad calls at 11 and says the TTc just started striking at midnight so we had to high tail it home... then they pretty much stopped service at 11:30! Ugh! So I had to taxi from Sheppard to Fairview Mall.
They're definitely going about this the wrong way. They've got everyone in Toronto against them now.
And I totally ked on this... this is so dangerous and will definitely encourage some more drunk driving. Fuck the TTC.
Wow, really loving the TTC website's take on things:
A section indeed...
As a caller into CP24 just pointed this will also have a great impact on shift workers such as nurses.
For me the most distasteful aspect of this sudden strike is the fact that people won't be able to get home tonight/this morning. It's bad enough to not get to work but to not be able to get home at this time of day is totally unacceptable.
Meredi: The TTC's front page is much more blunt.
I just drive home through the city from Vaughan and it's a mess. I didn't know the TTC was on strike, and I couldn't figure out why there were so many people limping home along the sidewalk in high heels and so many others desperately trying to hail taxis. And now that I know, I realize there were no streetcars and why it felt so easy to drive along College Street tonight.
Right now I can see a load of people waiting at the transit shelter for a streetcar, obviously unaware that it ain't coming. Great, let's strand everyone wherever they are on a Saturday night—that'll really get people sympathetic to our cause!
Greediest. Union. Ever.
(and I'm pro-union! ...at least normally)
I wandered along Yonge between Davisville and Eglinton just after midnight to check out what was going on at either of those stations. No sign of any TTC personnel. No signs on the doors of the stations - only locked doors and a guy spreading the news at the corner of Yonge and Eglinton to indicate that the strike was on. Cursing and car horns filled the air, as people darted into the middle of Yonge to flag down any taxi. Stray buses going out of service were greeted with jeers.
Some more fresh + lively commentary from a few other sites, to boot:
BlogTO Thread
http://blogto.com/city/2008/04/ttc_strike_is_back_on_the_table/
Spacing Thread
http://spacing.ca/wire/2008/04/25/ttc-workers-to-strike-at-midnight/
Globe and Mail Thread
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080426.wttc0425/CommentStory/National/home#comments
Can someone explain to me why the TTC shouldn't outsource engineering/maintenance work if it saves money and the job gets done to the same standards?
Is there an argument on the part of the union engineers that standards will drop if work is contracted out?
MAKE TTC AN ESSENTIAL SERVICE!!
LET’S GO PICKET DOWN AT THE UNION HEADQUARTERS AND TTC DAVISVILLE!!!
Outrageous! AUTOMATE SUBWAYS AND OUTSOURCE CLEANING!! I definitely haven’t noticed any cleaning at St. George or any other station. If they are going to make big money they have to EARN it.
I was on the subway at the time the announcement came on, but none of us could understand what was coming over the speakers. A few dozen of us stood stupidly at the streetcar stop for a few minutes before word spread.
I'm going bike shopping tomorrow, I hope there's one left for me.
If you don't already know the song, I highly recommend downloading "TTC Skidaddler" by Stompin' Tom Connors. It is the best piece of music one can be listening to at this moment.
Bring me the head of Bob Kinnear on a pike! I've been thinking of moving back to the GTA (and Toronto proper) in June from London, ON but now I'm having second thoughts. I'd love to be making the kind of dough the operators make! Plus with full benefits and pension! And you don't even need a post-secondary education to become an operator, just a driver's licence (though sometimes I wonder about the Queen streetcar drivers when they accelerate at practically warp speeds along the Queensway straightaway pat St. Joe's.
At least in London though the buses stop at midnight you don't get idiotic strikes like the ones in TO. fucking ridiculous! Normally I'm pro-union when it comes to such things as factories and other industrial types of jobs but I've never seen more complacent, rude and lackadasical attitudes towards work ethic than that of the unionized operators of the Totally Terrible Crap!
the thing that gets me too is do they assume that everyone who rides the TTC works and lives right downtown and within walking/bike riding distance of their places of employment? what about people commuting in from the burbs?
I'm having trouble thinking of words to express how pissed off i am. I'm a student, my finals ended last week and my funds are pretty much depleted.I went out tonight to a party tonight with the last bit of booze i have and my metropass. Needless to say, if it wasn't for the word of the strike spreading i would be waiting at a street car stop for the 501 right now. If it wasn't for a friend of mine with a car, i would actually be stranded downtown because i don't have the money for a cab.
Up till now ive been sympathetic to the union during these negotiations, but i feel this was a violation of the trust that i put in the transit system. As far as im concerned the union can rot.
Absolutely disgusting, this strike by the TTC union is. It's a damn filthy tactic to cut service to unsuspecting riders at the dead of night. If the union wants to improve job safety, how about it think twice about provoking its 1.5 million riders.
The city oughta' fire the whole lot of TTC employees who don't know how good their government job is, just like Reagan did with PATCO. Fire them all and hire people who have some common courtesy and appreciation for their job.
(In all seriousness, can the city do that? And I'm usually pro-union and pro-help-workers..)
This strike will be remembered, just like the last one, as useless, annoying, and ineffective.
Wee!
Time to stop artificially inflating incomes and benefits for low/unskilled work.
Essential Service. Do it McGuinty.
I couldn't find one so I made my own:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=15072197546&ref=mf
Yes, facebook groups are mostly useless, but I still think they're one step up compared to those online petitions.
What business strands their customers at midnight? One with union employees. This will not work in favour of the union. If you think the threats were bad during the 48 hour notice, just wait till you are back at work.
Why do people equate privatization with savings, look south of the border to see how well it works and even up here. It is pure delusion to think privatization saves money, the corporations that get the work make profits and the workers get shafted. Every time I hear that something going to be privatized I know eventually it will cost more than we are paying now. Think because they pay the workers less it costs less? You have a profits going to the already wealthy and not the workers. Anyone who thinks privatization is a solution is just ignorant of the facts. They gave 48 hours notice, what part of the news conference last Friday did people not hear? The deal fell through and they went on strike, it has been way longer than 48 hours, for those whom are unable to count. A strike deadline was set if a deal was not reached, they worked until the ratification vote and a deal was not reached, they went on strike long after the 48 hours, and Bob Kinnear is just an idiot.
The bashing of the concept of privatization is way off base. Private industry realizes the best way to more revenue is to increase rider-ship and cut EXCESS expense. That isn't achieved thru fare hikes and crappy service (the plan now in place). The 48 hours notice was a small gesture of respect to our citizens which they have decided we were not worth anymore. They claim they are afraid of verbal assaults but I wonder how at risk they will be come Monday when they are legislated back and have accomplished is pissing the residents of Toronto off.
This is ridiculous. I really hope this strike causes the backlash it deserves! Stranding everyone on a Friday night, I don't think there's anything worse the TTC could do
I haven't agreed with David Miller in so long... it actually feels kinda good. Ditto for McGuinty.