TTC BACK TO WORK

The Red Rocket will be running as usual Monday after the provincial government legislated striking transit employees back to work.

Nearly 9,000 TTC employees represented by Amalgamated Transit Union 113 walked off the job suddenly and without warning Friday night after a tentative agreement reached last week between the union and the transit commission was voted down. The abrupt walkout stranded thousands of people all over the city.

An angry Mayor David Miller announced in the wee hours of Saturday morning that he'd be asking the province to step in as soon as possible to enact back-to-work legislation, and the strike ended Sunday when MPPs met and voted to order TTC employees back to work. TTC Chair Adam Giambrone was also frustrated with the fact that the union didn't give 48 hours' notice of a strike before walking, as they had previously promised to do.

"Even though they promised 48 hours, they were allowed to (strike) whenever they wanted. It was irresponsible. Certainly our ability to act was limited," he noted.

The back-to-work legislation passed unanimously at Queen's Park a half hour after it was introduced. Transit service was back up and running by 8pm on Sunday.

Metropass users will be reimbursed for the two days the TTC was shut down.

At this point an arbitrator will sit down with the two sides and they have 90 days to reach a new deal.

How does arbitration work?

Meanwhile, TTC operators are concerned there will be a backlash against them in the coming days over the weekend disruptions.

"We don't want our families to be jeopardized by one of us not coming home at the end of day," said TTC employee Ken Morgan.

Last week Premier Dalton McGuinty said he'd consider making the TTC an essential service if the city requested it. Mayor Miller is reportedly thinking about it.

"I think it needs to look at calmly through the committee process. Not the middle of the circumstances but in a calm and rational way to make the best consideration," he explained.

A motion on making the TTC an essential service will go before council on Tuesday.