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The 2008 TTC strike began as a legal strike action by Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) unionized staff on April 26, 2008 at 12:01 a.m. EDT. [1] All buses, streetcars and subway trains in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, came to an abrupt halt, leaving thousands of commuters stranded across the city[2]. TTC employees were ordered after the vote to not report for their next shift prior to midnight. Unlike the 2006 strike action, this strike was a legal job action. However, the Amalgamated Transit Union local 113 did not provide a proper 48-hour notice of the service withdrawal as they had previously promised they would do. Instead, the ATU only provided 90 minutes notice before the service withdrawal. [3] Bob Kinnear, the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 113 leader, claimed that the lack of an advance notice was necessary to protect the TTC employees from "angry and irrational members of the public".[2]
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General synopsis
The strike occurred when the two unions, ATU Local 113 and Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 2, voted 65% to reject the offer made on April 20, 2008.[3] The result of the ratification vote was completed just after 10:00 p.m. on April 25. Torontonians and TTC employees were given 90 minutes notice of the impending strike at around 10:30 p.m. Internet gossip based on information from unofficial sources began around 10:50 p.m.
The rejected offer was a result of a provincial mediation between the unions and the TTC management. The deal had offered TTC operators a 3% wage increase each year for three years. Some operators and maintenance staff were not pleased with the offer and the concerns over the injury compensation plan. TTC employees voiced their concerns over the week prior to the shutdown.
According to reports [4] much of the dispute is around contracting out work.
Back-to-work legislation
Toronto mayor David Miller said in a news conference approximately at 11:45 p.m. on Friday that this strike action was "unacceptable and irresponsible" and he spoke with Ontario premier Dalton McGuinty to ask him to seek back-to-work legislation. By 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 26, the provincial government had signed an Order-in-Council allowing for a rare Sunday sitting of the Ontario legislature to consider a bill (Bill 66) to order the union back to work. [5] The legislature was in session at 1:30 p.m. on April 27. Ontario Progressive Conservative leader John Tory announced his support for back-to-work legislation. New Democratic Party leader Howard Hampton initially reserved judgment until he was able to read the proposed legislation, although at 6:05 p.m. the same day, he stated live on Citytv Toronto's CityNews that he did in fact support the legislation as well.[citation needed]
On April 27, 2008 a back-to-work law (Bill 66) was unanimously passed by the Ontario Legislature, a process which only took 30 minutes. The law was quickly given Royal Assent by David Onley, the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, making it official after 2 p.m. The TTC was given a few hours to ensure the system was safe enough to operate. Most transit service resumed by that evening.[6]
Offer
- Term: three years, expiring March 31, 2011
- Wages: April 1, 2008 - 3%; April 1, 2009 - 3%; April 1, 2010 - 3%
- Vision Care: $300 every 2 years; plus $50 for exams
- Dental Care: major restorative, including implants up to $2,500
- Orthodontic: up to $4,000 (50% TTC coverage)
- Physio & Chiro: $1,000 max ($35 per visit)
- Long-term Disability: $2,550 max, per month
Source: TTC[7]
See also
- 2006 TTC wildcat strike
- Toronto Transit Commission personnel
- Bob Kinnear, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union local 113
- Adam Giambrone, city councillor and Chair of the TTC
References
- ^ TTC Settlement Rejected by Union
- ^ a b "Toronto Transit Workers Strike Suddenly, Stranding Thousands". The New York Times (2008-04-26). Retrieved on 2008-04-26.
- ^ a b "TTC workers on strike". The Toronto Star (2008-04-26). Retrieved on 2008-04-26.
- ^ http://transit.toronto.on.ca/archives/weblog/2008/04/25-ttc_worker.shtml
- ^ Benzie, Robert; Curtis Rush (2008-04-26). "Order in council signed", The Toronto Star. Retrieved on 2008-04-26.
- ^ "TTC ordered back to work", The Toronto Star (2008-04-27). Retrieved on 2008-04-27.
- ^ "TTC Strike 2008: Negotiated Settlement Details".
External links
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