TTC subway station supervisors have voted overwhelmingly in favour of authorizing a strike mandate after negotiations for their first collective agreement have stalled, according to union officials. “TTC management refuses to acknowledge how much this job has changed or the realities we face every day,” said Maher Abbod, acting president of CUPE Local 5585 said in a release. “We won’t accept a contract that moves us backwards.” TTC subway station supervisors responsibilities include conducting daily inspections, overseeing station staff, investigating train and station incidents, and minimizing service disruptions. However, the union says the role has increasingly shifted toward responding to security-related incidents, emergencies and safety concerns. “This is an exceptionally strong strike mandate to deliver in our very first round of bargaining. Members made their needs clear when we organized for safer work. We’re making our needs clear once again with this strike vote,” Abbod said. Union leaders say that after a year of bargaining, 88 of the bargaining unit’s 115 members cast ballots, with 97 per cent voting in favour of authorizing strike action. In a statement to CTV News, TTC spokesperson Stuart Green said the transit agency “will continue to bargain with CUPE to reach a fair first contract.” “The TTC respects and values all of its employees, including the 120 station supervisors within this bargaining unit,” Green said. The union says it has offered to return to the bargaining table next Tuesday, adding that it is waiting for the TTC’s response.
