Surprise transit strike hits Toronto

TORONTO - A sudden transit strike idled the city's fleet of subways, streetcars and buses Saturday as pressure mounted on Premier Dalton McGuinty to legislate the workers back to the job.

Thousands of people headed to work or planning other trips were forced to walk, call cabs or scramble to find other ways to get around after the 9,000 members of the Amalgamated Transit Union walked out at midnight, just hours after rejecting a tentative contract proposal Friday night.

"I had no idea there was a strike," said George Sukhu, who had to walk Saturday instead of riding the subway.

"I don't know what they're asking for because the deal that was worked out gives them better pay than the rest of the transit industry."

Union leader Bob Kinnear said he had no choice but to set aside a promise to give 48 hours notice of a walkout out of concern for the safety of his members given some "irrational members of the public."

Sukhu said he was "at a loss" to understand Kinnear's explanation.

"Maybe they can be a little more user-friendly to the public. The prices are skyrocketing and I can hardly afford $100 a month for a (transit) pass."

Kinnear was meeting with his union executive Saturday morning and planned a news conference afterward.

In the interim, an Ontario Ministry of Labour mediator called the two sides back to the bargaining table for Saturday afternoon.

Toronto Transit Commission chairman Adam Giambrone said he was disappointed a tentative deal the union executive had recommended its members ratify had nevertheless been turned down.

"A lot of this has to do with how the contract was portrayed and not the actual details," Giambrone told CP24.

"It's going to be very difficult for us to negotiate when we had a contract that was recommended by the union."

Waits for taxis, which were not accepting advance bookings, were higher than normal and even motorists found themselves affected by the strike.

Ben Bumanlag, who cuts hair downtown, was dismayed to find his usual $5-a-day parking lot was suddenly charging $15.

"It's too much," Bumanlag complained. "They're taking advantage."

Mayor David Miller called the surprise turn of events "unacceptable" and called on McGuinty to intervene. Opposition Leader John Tory made a similar call for an emergency session of the legislature.

McGuinty said he would recall the legislature to deal with the strike as soon as possible.

"I informed the mayor that we will be proceeding with back-to-work legislation at the first available opportunity," McGuinty said in a release early Saturday.

It was not immediately clear when that might happen.

While the walkout left thousands of people stranded as buses and streetcars changed their signs to "not in service," police reported no incidents related to the job action overnight.

Despite the tentative agreement that provided wage increases of three per cent a year over three years, it appeared that the transit commission's three-thousand maintenance workers felt let down by the deal.

Their major concern is that contracting out of their work will lead to job losses.

The TTC, however, said warranty work on new vehicles is being done by the manufacturer but even much of that is being done in-house.

Tory called the strike "outrageous."

"It jeopardizes public safety and is irresponsible at best," he fumed. "The process to bring the strike to a swift end must begin immediately."