With a potential labour disruption just two weeks away, talks resumed Sunday between the city and CUPE Local 416, which represents municipal outside workers.

CUPE Local 416 will be in a legal strike position, with the city in a legal lockout position on Feb. 5.

The union represents about 8,000 city employees, including garbage collectors, road and parks maintenance workers, animal control officers and paramedics. Their contract expired Dec. 31, 2011.

A major sticking point of the negotiation is said to be the city’s desire to take the so-called “jobs for life” provision out of the contract for workers with less than 25 years of seniority.

City of Toronto officials say there is a contingency plan in place in case of a work stoppage – many essential services like snow clearing are 75 per cent outsourced.

With files from Shawne McKeown