It's not an April fool's joke and it's a common negotiating ploy. But members of the
Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113 - which includes drivers for the TTC - have begun making small noises about a possible strike on the system next month.
The problem is a lack of funds, with the ATU upset over the latest contract offer from the cash strapped city. The union has launched a new ad campaign designed to show the public the value of its workers.
About a hundred of them came to City Hall Monday, making their case for progress as the deadline for a new deal nears. Union boss Bob Kinnear is adamant his members don't want a walkout, but will do whatever it takes to get a fair deal.
For his part, Councillor Joe Mihevc, the TTC Vice-Chair, is vowing to keep taxpayers in mind before the city agrees to anything. Toronto is already is a tenuous position, with a severe shortage of funds that has already led to increased property taxes and new levies on everything from vehicle registration to house sales.
Finding enough money in the kitty to satisfy a sometimes demanding union while keeping services running may prove to be a challenge.
Both sides have been talking for the past three weeks, and it appears they're not close to an agreement yet. The city is offering a four year deal with a two per cent wage hike in each year. The union is angry because Toronto wants too many benefit and working concessions in exchange.
Members will be taking a de facto strike vote on Wednesday giving the union the right to walk out April 1
st, should it come to that.
The last time the Red Rocket fizzled out came on May 29, 2006, when workers
staged a one-day wildcat strike that centered over money, safety and the way they were being treated. It left 800,000 people across the GTA stranded and cost the TTC $3 million in lost fares.
The workers - who called the strike a lockout - returned by 9pm after being
ordered back by the Ontario Labour Relations Board, which termed it an illegal walkout. And despite the threat of legal action, Toronto never recovered the lost funds.
The TTC would later give those who qualified a
one-time refund for the loss of their Metropass service for the day. It was an expensive lesson and one no one wants to see repeated.