Ministry of Labour issues no-board report, TTC workers able to strike in 17 days

Ontario’s Ministry of Labour has issued a no-board report to the union representing 12,000 TTC workers, moving them another step closer to a strike.

A legal strike can begin 17 days after a no-board report has been issued, making the union able to legally strike anytime as of June 7.

In a release, the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 113 said they have been without a contract since April 1. “The union’s bargaining team is still at the negotiating table hoping to align on key issues related to job security and wages with TTC management,” read the release.

“This is the next legal step with respect to exercising our right to withdraw services. We have already started mobilizing our members to prepare for this, should we need to take strike action in June,” Marvin Alfred, President of ATU Local 113, stated in the release.

The union said its collective agreement expired on March 31, 2024 after the agreement was issued in 2021.

In April, the 12,000 workers who operate and maintain the TTC voted “overwhelmingly” in favour of a strike mandate.

At the time, the union said if no progress was made at the bargaining table, it has no choice but to proceed with strike action.

“Our members are clearly angry and upset about how they have been treated at work. We are proud of our work and know the value of our work. We have the right to protect our future and are ready to fight for job security,” a spokesperson for ATU Local 113 wrote in a statement in April.

If no agreement is reached, it will be the first time in 10 years that the union can exercise their right to strike after a 2023 court ruling restored TTC workers’ right to do so. The last time ATU Local 113 members went on strike was in 2008.

Councillor Jamaal Myers, who chairs the TTC board, said a strike would likely result in delays or cancellations for riders.

“I have been assured by the TTC that regular updates for customers, including up-to-date service alerts and route information, will be readily available,” Myers said in a statement.

“As a TTC rider myself, I understand personally how devastating these job actions will be for our customers and I apologize and empathize with the inconvenience and hardship this will inevitably cause.”

Myers has also said he is “encouraged” that the TTC and ATU Local 113 remain at the bargaining table to reach a deal and avoid job action measures.

“Teams from the TTC and ATU Local 113 have worked alongside a conciliator to assist in the labour negotiations however, both parties have yet to come to an agreement. As a result, earlier today, the Ministry of Labour issued a No Board Report,” said Myers in a statement on Tuesday.”

“I am confident that a fair deal can be reached, just as the TTC has done with IAMAW Lodge 235, CUPE Local 5089, and CUPE Local 2. As TTC Board Chair, I continue to receive regular updates on the negotiations.”

With files from Patricia D’Cunha, Meredith Bond and Lucas Casaletto, CityNews