Doug Ford urges TTC and union to ‘come to their senses’ and reach deal ahead of World Cup

TTC CEO Mandep Lali says that they have not reached a new contract deal with CUPE Local 2, the union representing roughly 700 electrical, signal, and communicat

Premier Doug Ford is urging the TTC and its electrical and signal workers to “come to their senses” and get a deal to avert a possible work stoppage that could begin as soon as this weekend.

Ford made the comment at an unrelated news conference on Tuesday when asked about the possibility that a work stoppage involving approximately 700 unionized workers could impact transit service during the upcoming FIFA World Cup, which is now only one month away.

“Hopefully they can come to their senses, both parties. I never take one side over the other. Let’s sit in the room, lock the door and they can come out with a deal. We have been going through this for decades and decades on many negotiations,” Ford said Tuesday.

The union will be in a legal strike position and the TTC will be in a legal lockout position as of Saturday following the issuing of a “no board” report by the Ministry of Labour earlier this month.

Ford was asked on Tuesday whether his government could order an end to a work stoppage involving TTC workers should it threaten the World Cup but did not directly respond.

He said that the two parties should “put the people and Toronto” ahead of the negotiations. He then added that the union and management could “take a break and go back to work and support a world class event like FIFA.”

TTC officials have said that they attempted to start negotiations in January but the union didn’t come to the table until March.

Union leadership, however, has disputed that, saying management would not allow CUPE Local 2’s entire bargaining team to sit at the table and that only intervention from Toronto’s labour relations board solved the impasse.

In an interview with CTV News Toronto on Tuesday, Sumit Guleria, president of CUPE Local 2, warned of potential service interruptions if a deal is not reached.

“We want to bargain, there will be disruption because the TTC has chosen to lock out its workers, despite our pleading that they continue to bargain,” he said. “The union is not calling a strike.”

Guleria encouraged management to “bargain at the table,” instead of in public after Lali appeared on a live interview with CP24.

Lali, for his part, has said that the TTC has offered a deal which contains “a double-digit” salary increase over the life of the agreement.

“We have offered a deal which is above inflation, a double-digit deal,” Lali said. “However, the union currently have a deal on the table that they’ve proposed which is circa $40 million impact to the TTC over three years.”

Lali highlighted union worker’s overtime rate as a friction point.

Union workers currently earn double pay on overtime, which he called “above and beyond the normal standard.” He added that workers are paid 25 per cent more on Sundays, on top of the overtime.

Guleria disputed Lali’s account, saying “no matter how we look at it, there is no double digit offer on the table.”

Besides pay, the union is frustrated with scheduling practices, he said.

“More than half of our members work night shifts all year long and when our members are maintaining important, hazardous equipment, I’m sure the city does not want them fatigued,” Guleria said.

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