TTC commuters breathed a sigh of relief Friday as a strike by about 11,000 drivers and operators was averted at the last minute.
The union, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113, tentatively agreed on a framework after weeks of negotiations, but the membership still needs to approve it with a majority vote.
Details of the agreement haven’t been released, but the union’s main sticking points during negotiations included wages, benefits, and job security issues.
Rick Leary, the CEO of TTC, said in a media conference that nobody wanted a strike.
“This is a very good deal for our employees and the city, and I’m very happy,” he said. “I think it’s wonderful for the next three years we’ve confirmed service in the city with the TTC.”
Meanwhile, ATU Local 113 said in a statement said it is “pleased to announce that we have reached a framework settlement with the TTC that allows us to put the strike on hold.
“We will continue to work through details and to arrive at a fair and reasonable contract that we can recommend to our members to ratify,” the union said.
ATU Local 113 said that its demands have been reasonable.
“We asked the TTC for assurance on job security, for protections on contracting out our jobs, for improvement in benefits for active members and pensioners,” they said.
In a press conference late Thursday, Marvin Alfred, president of ATU Local 113, said they do not have a deal this time but have a framework.
“We want to make sure that all the gaps are looked after before we take something to our members,” Alfred said.
He said that they will work through it to make sure that they flesh out the deal that protects their member’s rights.
As of now, the exact terms of the three-year agreement will remain undisclosed until the union members have had a chance to review and vote on it.
On the other hand, with this tentative deal, TTC commuters are happy.
Humber student and daily commuter Narmin Gurbanli said she was relieved as the strike was averted.
“I live very far away from the college near Sheppard Yonge Station and there is no other way to come here than using TTC and the subway,” Gurbanli said.
“And that’s why I’m relieved that I didn’t have to skip any classes,” she said.
Another commuter Karan Kumar, an employee with FedX, said he would have had to use alternate methods to get to work.
“I take the 96B TTC and have to transfer to another transit mode at Humber College bus terminal. If there was a strike, I would have had to take an Uber or Lyft for half my journey which would have been heavy on my pocket,” Kumar said.