After rounds of bitter negotiations, the city of Toronto and CUPE Local 416 reached a tentative deal Sunday morning, avoiding a major work stoppage.
The agreement came around 8:30 a.m., after both sides agreed with the mediator's request to extend the original 12:01 a.m. deadline and then worked through the second target of 2 a.m.
“I would suggest it’s one of the toughest labour negotiations in Canadian history” said CUPE Local 416 president Mark Ferguson.
Terms and conditions of the deal will not be released until after a ratification vote. Although there’s no word on when the vote will take place, Ferguson says officials will be getting together again Monday morning to iron out the remaining details.
He did say CUPE was forced to make “numerous concessions.”
“You just need to look towards what we were up against: an administration that was not interested in getting to a deal," he said. "They did want to get to a deal after all."
Mayor Rob Ford's mood was buoyant at a news conference Sunday morning.
“I can tell you that it’s a great day, an absolutely fantastic day, for the taxpayers of this great city,” he said, adding he was confident council would approve the deal.
City manager Joe Pennachetti concurred.
“The tentative agreement is fair to our employees, reasonable and
affordable for residents and businesses, and will allow the Toronto
public service to continue to deliver high quality services," he said.
Dep. Mayor Doug Holyday addressed some of the rhetoric that came out during the contentious negotiations.
“In the end, (Ferguson) was not 'Dr. No,'" he said. "As we got down to dealing with the problems and discussing it, as I said all along it could only be solved at the table, and that’s exactly what happened."
CUPE Local 416 represents nearly 6,000 workers, including garbage collectors, road and parks employees, animal control officers and paramedics.
Here’s a list terms the city would have forced on outside workers as part of its latest public proposal:
• 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.
Negotiations continue with the city’s inside workers’ union, CUPE Local 79. That union represents about 23,000 workers whose contract also expired Dec. 31. There's been no request for a No Board report from either side in those talks.