Mere hours before the TTC brass and its largest union were set to meet with a provincial negotiator, the city councillor responsible for the transit system dropped a bombshell.
TTC Chair Adam Giambrone outlined what he feels is the sticking point in the negotiations:
"A lot of this has to do with how the contract was portrayed and not the actual details of the contract."
He went on to say that he had thought the contract was a done deal, and further amendments would prove difficult.
"I can tell you that at this point, it's going to be ... very difficult for us to negotiate when we had a contract that was recommended by the union."
The Ministry of Labour called both parties back to the table for 1pm Saturday, but talks broke off by nightfall, largely because Ontario's government was expected to table back-to-work legislation that would end the strike in an emergency Sunday sitting.
Meanwhile, a few of the roughly 65 per cent of workers who voted down ratification spoke out against the contract and their Union boss Bob Kinnear, saying it was a question of operators and maintenance workers, with the latter getting the short end of the stick.
"The contract had nothing in there for us," said one TTC maintenance worker named George.
"I'd just like to thank Bob Kinnear for making ... maintenance workers feel like second-tier employees."
Portions of the proposed deal that allowed maintenance work to be contracted out was a particularly sore spot.
"I would say job security is the main key for all of us at the TTC," said Lodge 235 I.A.M. Union Chair Scott Johnson. "Contracting out is the main, key issue."
Toronto Wakes Up To TTC Strike
David Miller Responds
Premier McGuinty and John Tory Respond
Your Reaction To TTC Strike
City of Toronto's contingency plan
Ten Alternatives To The TTC