The union representing Toronto outside workers says it has received a final offer from the city it described as “provocative” and “threatening” ahead of a Sunday bargaining deadline.

If the union doesn’t take the deal, “as early as Sunday, the city could start firing or laying off hundreds of workers across the city,” CUPE Local 416 president Mark Ferguson said at a Friday news conference.

The war of words between the two sides reached a fever pitch Friday when Ferguson said the city is more interested in being a "bully than a problem-solver.”

“We will not be provoked,” Ferguson said.

The union is preparing a counter-offer, but it likely won't be ready until Saturday morning.

The city defended its offer Friday and made the unusual step of outlining the key points of its proposal that would take effect if no settlement is reached by Sunday.

“Things have swung too far one way to the point where we can’t live with some of the conditions that are in the contract in order to be efficient,” Deputy Mayor Doug Holyday said Friday afternoon.

“I guess the alternative is just to say the heck with it. Let’s live with the waste and live with the bad service and let life go on. But that’s not what we’re about.”

Some of the terms and conditions the city will impose on outside city workers include:

• Changing the so-called “jobs for life” provision to only cover workers with 22 years seniority, versus the current 10-year mark.
  
  
• Make changes to layoff and recall processes. The city said no CUPE workers have been laid off since 1999.
  
  
• Change sick–pay plan . The current average number of sick days taken for CUPE workers is 13.4 and the city thinks that is too high.
  
  
• Changes to benefits coverage. The city will only cover 95 per cent of drug costs, compared to the current 100 per cent. City will only provide $400 worth of eyeglasses coverage, compared to current $450
  
  
• Change policy when it comes to leaves of absence for union unit chairs. The city pays full cost when CUPE’s eight unit chairs leave work to attend union business. City only wants to pay half.
  
  
• Wage improvements over four years of 1.25 per cent for 2012, 1.5 per cent in 2013, 1.75 per cent in 2014 and a 1.75 per cent base wage increase in 2015.

Click here (.pdf) for a full list.

The city’s HR executive director Bruce Anderson unveiled the conditions, which he described as “reasonable” and “fair” and said are in line with most other public and private sector employers. All city workers will be expected to show up for work, as usual, on Monday if no deal is struck.  Residents shouldn’t notice any change to city services.

Ferguson said Local 416 had already agreed to several concessions and put a three-year wage freeze and a five-year restriction on employment security on the table Thursday morning.

The city told him to “take it or leave it,” Ferguson said, adding the offer virtually “guts our collective agreement.”

“It’s the clearest demonstration to date that the city has no interest to bargain a collective agreement with us at this time,” Ferguson said.

The Ministry of Labour has set a Sunday deadline for a lockout or strike. The union has repeatedly insisted it isn’t interested in striking and hasn’t held a strike vote.

The union represents nearly 6,000 workers, including garbage collectors, road and parks employees, animal control officers and paramedics.  In the event of a lockout or strike, 85 per cent of paramedics would stay on the job, but no support staff would clock-in for work.

The city has offered to provide interest arbitration for city paramedics, who’ve been fighting to be deemed an essential service. The city’s proposal includes creating a separate Local 416 collective agreement for EMS that would allow for the hiring of part-time paramedics. 

There is a contingency plan in place for vital city services in the event of a labour disruption, including snow-clearing — 75 per cent of which is contracted out.

City manager Joe Pennachetti has said in the event of strike or lockout the TTC, police and fire services wouldn’t be affected. The city's homes for the aged, Toronto Public Library and Toronto Community Housing properties also wouldn’t be affected.

“Generally you don’t introduce new terms and conditions 48 hours prior to a deadline. That’s rarely ever done,” Coun. Kristyn Wong-Tam said after the union announcement. She said she worked as a negotiator for 16 years before she was elected to council.

Toronto & York Region Labour Council on Friday called on Mayor Rob Ford and Holyday to focus on negotiating a fair agreement.

“The Ford administration is determined to eliminate any protection for workers who would lose their jobs to contracting out,” the council said in a statement. “Mayor Ford is on record as saying he wants to fire 7000 city employees. Those are the real stakes in this dispute.”

Ferguson and other union leaders believe the city’s stance in negotiations is “unprecedented” in the municipal public sector in Canada and compared the move to what has happened in London, Ont., where the Electro-Motive Canada factory was shut down by Caterpillar after failed negotiations with the Canadian Auto Workers Union.