Author: Stephanie Gomez

On Monday morning, the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 113 said it has applied to the Ministry of Labour to request that a conciliator be appointed.

“Our union’s collective bargaining team has been working through negotiations with the TTC for weeks trying to get our members the new contract they deserve. The TTC is refusing to align with ATU Local 113 on the key priorities of transit workers, including job security, wages, and benefits”

TTC workers’ union says it has taken ‘first step’ toward strike action | CP24.com

[April 15, 2024, Toronto, ON] Our union’s collective bargaining team has been working through negotiations with the TTC for weeks trying to get our members the new contract they deserve. The TTC is refusing to align with ATU Local 113 on the key priorities of transit workers, including job security, wages, and benefits.

With no opportunity for compromise, the TTC has forced us to take the first step towards strike action. This morning, ATU Local 113 applied to the Ministry of Labour to request that a conciliator be appointed.

“We are continuing to bargain with the employer,” said Marvin Alfred, President of ATU Local 113. “We are hoping that the conciliator will act as a resource to support our union with obtaining a fair collective agreement.”

While this is only the first step towards strike action, ATU Local 113 is prepared to move to direct action up to and including a full withdrawal of services.

For additional information, please contact media@atu113.net.

Additional Facts:

• ATU Local 113’s collective agreement expired on March 31, 2024.
• The union’s last collective bargaining agreement was issued in 2021.
• This is the first time in 10 years that the union can exercise their right to strike, following last year’s historic legal victory which restored this fundamental, constitutional right.
• The last time ATU Local 113 members went on strike was in 2008.

To the Tamil community and all who celebrate, we are wishing you light and happiness this Iniya Puthandu Nalvazhthukkal!

We would like to wish our Sikh and Hindu members and all who celebrate a happy Vaisakhi! We are wishing you warmth and joy as you celebrate the harvest festival.

In response to the Scarborough RT derailment in July 2023, ATU Local 113 president, Marvin Alfred called for more transparency around safety issues at Thursday’s TTC Board Meeting.

“The public sees and understands how underfunding and mismanagement has made the (TTC) system unreliable and unsafe. The SRT derailment was just a symptom of the larger underlying problem”

TTC board asks Toronto’s auditor to probe SRT derailment (thestar.com)

Our President, Marvin Alfred, and Local 113’s Legal Counsel, Ian Fellows, addressed a TTC Board meeting this afternoon to discuss the 2021 SRT derailment.

We called out the TTC’s lack of accountability and the need to improve safety standards.

The TTC has been in decline for years and consistent lack of investment in the system leaves minimal options for improvement when it comes to ensuring passengers and workers feel safe, as well as delivering high quality service.

At an April 11 TTC Board meeting, ATU Local 113 delivered a deputation centered around safety practices.

A topic of focus at the board meeting was the Scarborough RT derailment which resulted in five injuries. The root cause of the issue was a gap in maintenance – something that could have been prevented if there were adequate resources dedicated to frequent checks upgrades. Just two weeks before the derailment, Local 113 members reported this stretch of track for repair. The problems could and should have been addressed.

“The lack of accountability in leadership at the TTC is obscuring the seriousness of the problem,” said Marvin Alfred, President of ATU Local 113 during his deputation to the Board. “The connecting theme linking incidents that threaten the public and our members safety is TTC management prioritizing statistics and cost savings over providing a consistently safe and reliable service.”

Local 113 calls on the TTC Board to launch a full and independent review of TTC’s safety and maintenance practices. The culture of secrecy at TTC is preventing the full story from coming out. Without the facts there is no way to work towards a solution.

For additional information, please contact media@atu113.net.

ATU Local 113 would like to wish all who celebrate Eid al-Fitr much peace, safety, good health, and prosperity. Eid Mubarak!

Transit workers in Toronto work day in and day out to make sure our community can move. Immigrants who come to our city rely on transit to start a new life. Businesses and schools rely on customers, workers and students to commute. It is workers who operate and maintain the vehicles and it’s time to stand united with them for a strong union contract.

Our members and Political Action Committee were out in full force distributing campaign flyers to members of the public. This included a QR code that redirects to our public petition, which has received almost 5,000 signatures!

We thank you for your support to date & ask that you sign in solidarity with Local 113 and transit workers.

I STAND WITH TORONTO TRANSIT WORKERS – Action Network