Author: Stephanie Gomez

The ATU 113 Women’s Committee, together with the Toronto Police 12 Division, held its annual Sock Drive, as part of the Local’s ongoing commitment to give back to our communities. This initiative is aimed at helping people in our city experiencing homelessness and housing instability.

On Friday, February 14, 2025, the ATU 113 Women’s Committee and Toronto Police 12 Division distributed the care packages at The Good Sheppard, The Scott Mission, Salvation Army Maxwell Meighen Centre, Dufferin Grove Encampment, Progress Place and the ENAGB Indigenous Youth Agency.

The committee collected over 10,000 pairs of socks, packaged and delivered over 600 personal care bags which included toques, scarves, gloves, socks, toothbrushes, toothpastes and bars of soap. In addition, bulk sock donations were also made, so that they could be distributed as needed. The committee raised $3,894 through an online raffle, to help with the costs of purchasing personal care products.

Local 113 thanks all our members at participating work locations: Birchmount, Danforth, Eglinton, Hillcrest, McNicoll, Mount Dennis, Queensway, Streetcars, Wheel Trans, Wilson, as well as the ATU 113 Union Office and the ATU 113 Maintenance Executive Board.

Thanks to all our donors for continuing to support the Sock Drive and appreciate the efforts of the ATU 113 Women’s Committee for their dedication to this cause.

Every gesture of kindness counts and helps make a difference to the lives of people in need in our city.

ATU Local 113 Shop Stewards Terry Amaral and Eddie Braga, and Executive Board Members Marvin Alfred, Claudio Cappadocia, Matthew Chau and Nick Mitropoulos recently joined the retirement celebration for our members from Streetcar operations:

Dean Bayne, Craig Borotsik, Paul Chen, Wayne Davidson, Mike Frotten, Hemant Karnani, Collen Laffey, Terry Mannella, Rick Rowett, Donald Turner, and former Shop Stewards Josef ‘Pat’ Lavallee and Peter Reinhardt.

We thank our retiring members for their commitment, hard work, and service to keep Toronto moving. Congratulations on your well-deserved retirement! And our best wishes as you begin this new chapter.

ATU Local 113 is hosting their annual charity hockey tournament on Saturday, March 15.

All proceeds will be donated to support finding a cure for MS.

Join ATU 113 for the International Women’s Day Rally and March in Toronto! Together, we can make a difference.

Thank you to ATU International for recognizing our President/Business Agent, Marvin Alfred, during Black History Month.

Dear ATU U.S. and Canadian Local Union Presidents/Business Agents:

We find ourselves in difficult times and the tensions between the United States and Canadian governments are palpable and undeniable. As we navigate these challenges, I write to remind you of the ATU’s steadfast commitment to improving the lives of our members and strengthening our union in both countries.

The solidarity we share as transit workers transcends borders. Stronger together, we form a collective force that is both powerful and necessary to push back against the forces that seek to undermine our rights and diminish our hard-earned progress.

Our strength can be found in our groundbreaking collaborative work. ATU Local 113-Toronto, ON, and the ATU International have worked together to launch the first-of-its-kind Bus Design Innovation Program (BDIP), a project that enhances the safety of our members and sets a new standard for innovation in the transit industry for North America. This is just one of the many ways we are working together to ensure a safer, more secure, and more equitable future for all transit workers.

Our organizing accomplishments in both countries have also been nothing short of transformative. We are growing our ranks and securing contracts that empower our members and strengthen our union. These victories, which would not have been possible without our unwavering unity, are a testament to what we can achieve when we stand and fight together. Every contract we win and every organizing victory we claim brings us closer to achieving fair treatment and dignity that our members deserve.

Our joint efforts across North America continue to lay the foundation for a better tomorrow, a better future.

For over 150 years, Canada and the United States have stood side by side as partners, allies, friends, and neighbors. We cannot allow the actions of a single leader to cloud the relationship that has existed between our people. The bond between Canadian and American workers and our shared struggles is much stronger than any political rhetoric. We must resist the narrative that seeks to create division, especially from those who are taking little regard for the well-being of working people.

This is a moment in history when unions are more essential than ever. Workers across both of our countries need to come together and fight against the harmful agendas seeking to weaken the labor movement.

Our strength lies in our collective action, and the solidarity we have generated across borders is a beacon of hope in these times of uncertainty. Together, we can continue to move forward, building a future where the needs and dignity of working people come first. Don’t let them divide us. Stay strong. Stay united. We are stronger together.

In solidarity,
John A. Costa
International President

c: Yvette J. Trujillo, International Executive Vice President, ATU
Kenneth R. Kirk, International Secretary-Treasurer, ATU
International Vice Presidents, ATU
International Representative, ATU
John Di Nino, President, ATU Canada

ATU Local 113 is proud to celebrate Black History Month and recognize the legacy of the Black community and their continued contributions to Canada.

ATU Local 113 would like to extend a happy Lunar New Year to all who celebrate. Wishing you luck, love, and health this Chinese New Year.

ATU Local 113 welcomes the report by TTC Riders on bus bunching. It’s well-researched and thoughtful, and puts forward some excellent, practical ideas for improving TTC service at little or no cost – not just on schedules, but actually on the streets.

Delivering comfortable, convenient and reliable service to our riders is a top priority for Local 113. We were pleased to participate in the research and appreciate our members sharing their ideas and expertise. Nobody knows the TTC like we do, and we are always happy to help.

TTC riders and transit workers know how poorly the TTC has been managing and reporting on service. The City is committed to investing in the TTC, we want to work with the TTC to make sure this translates into authentic service improvements.

The TTC has been hiding behind vague performance metrics to gaslight the public into thinking that service is better than they experience. Hopefully they can admit that they have a problem so we can start working on a solution.

We have been pushing for transparency and openness about service for years. We’re glad that the facts are finally coming out – and hope that the TTC will improve transparency and adopt the recommendations.

ATU Local 113 members joined Mayor Olivia Chow at the city’s budget announcement this morning.

Local 113 is working to ensure that the voices of public transit workers and riders are heard by the city and the TTC.  Together, we are helping build a stronger city and stronger communities by improving public transit.