146). The dispute over a new agreement ended this month with interest rate arbitration after the union and the TTC were unable to reach an agreement through collective bargaining and mediation. . TTC employees are committed to serving our customers and our city during the most difficult times. We are proud of them and appreciate the work they have done and continue to do. We are now focused on conducting productive negotiations with ATU Local 113 in order to reach a fair and reasonable agreement. Even in the face of significant challenges, we will work to reach an agreement that: The same law denying TTC workers the right to strike also states that “no collective agreement is in effect” and that the TTC “may not change rates of pay or other terms and conditions of employment unless the negotiator`s collective agreement is in place.” The TTC`s conduct is disrespectful to the law and the collective bargaining process. Plus, it`s a kick in the teeth for the members who came to work every day to keep the city moving during the pandemic. Today, the TTC began negotiations on a new collective agreement with our largest union partner, Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 113. The current agreement expires on March 31, 2021. We intend to reach a new agreement by that date. Local 113 represents a vital group of front-line employees, including operators and maintenance staff, all of whom continue to play a vital role in keeping TTC customers moving. The past 12 months have been the most difficult in the TTC`s 100-year history.
Together, this entire organization has overcome the unprecedented challenges we have faced. Strict public health measures have allowed passenger numbers and incomes to reach historically low levels as people stay at home in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. At the lowest point of the pandemic last spring, ridership dropped by 85%, costing the TTC $20 million in lost revenue each week. All the while, the TTC kept service moving for the hundreds of thousands of people who continued to rely on us to get to important jobs and appointments. In this way, the TTC is truly an essential service and we will continue to serve our customers continuously during the negotiation of this contract. The TTC is the third largest transit system in North America, we are critical to the success and prosperity of Canada`s largest economy, and we strive to move people safely, efficiently and affordably. Last Monday, the two sides began talks with a provincial arbitrator to find common ground and reach an interim agreement. We met with ATU Local 113 and an arbitrator appointed by the Ministry of Labour to try to reach an agreement. We believe that what we proposed was the best collective agreement for everyone and that we hoped to have a constructive dialogue supported by the arbitrator. Normally, this would be a violation of the collective agreement. However, until a new agreement is reached, we are in a period of legal deadlock.
In the past, we could consider strikes in protest. The Toronto Transit Commission Labour Disputes Resolution Act immediately passed it and replaced negotiations with arbitration. On February 26, 2021, the TTC and ATU Local 113, the TTC`s largest union partner, began negotiations on a new collective agreement. The TTC has been in talks with ATU Local 113 since February, but the two sides have not been able to reach an agreement. “We believe that what we proposed was the best collective agreement for everyone and that we hoped it could have led to a constructive dialogue supported by the arbitrator,” said Rick Leary, CEO of the TTC. “Unfortunately, we are now faced with the prospect of a treaty imposed on both sides, which is not the best way to resolve the negotiations.” In recent months, the TTC and ATU Local 113, our largest union partner, have negotiated a new collective agreement. Yesterday, we started conciliation talks with a view to reaching a provisional agreement. On several key issues, the decision of 23-year-old arbitrator William Kaplan.
October at the site of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113, which represents approximately 11,000 transportation companies, including VAT, ticket collectors and maintenance workers. The arbitration award ends a seven-month standoff between the two parties – the previous collective agreement expired on March 31. “Toronto transit workers are excited about the new collective agreement, which recognizes our important role in the communities we serve through fair wages and benefits,” Frank Grimaldi, President of Local 113, said in a statement. While asserting that the union was satisfied with the arbitration award, he asserted that arbitration “does not replace the charter`s fundamental right to free collective bargaining, which ISIS denied to ATU Local 113, by the suppression of the right to strike by previous governments.” With the new collective agreement, ATU Local 113 is asking the new Toronto City Council and the TTC to join us in addressing the provincial government`s threat to split the TTC by taking its subway and putting it on the path to privatization, fare increases and reduced passenger transportation. Didn`t the employer (the Toronto Transit Board) protect its employees from harassment on his company`s Twitter account (@TTChelps), which violates the Ontario Human Rights Code and the collective agreement? But Kaplan rejected those proposals, writing in its decision that there was no proven need for such a “radical change” in the terms of the collective agreement. “Toronto transit workers welcome the new collective agreement, which recognizes our important role in the communities we serve with fair wages and benefits. Early in the process, ATU Local 113 met in good faith to negotiate an agreement and, despite the TTC`s efforts to reduce, reduce and suspend the talks, the arbitrator agreed that the agreement follows years of negotiated solutions and is not based on drastic and unfair concessions. The arbitrator also rejected the TTC`s assertion that City of Toronto employees were a reasonable comparison to our 11,000 qualified transit personnel, and accepted that comparisons with Metrolinx, Mississauga MiWay and Brampton Transit were more appropriate. Let us be clear, whatever the outcome, interest arbitration does not replace the Charter`s fundamental right to free collective bargaining, which is denied to ATU Local 113, with the abolition of the right to strike by previous governments. A provincial arbitrator awarded a new three-year contract to the TTC`s largest union in a decision that prevented the transit agency from removing job security protection from the collective agreement. Developing standardized responses that are mutually acceptable to the employer and the union could be very helpful for senior officials responding to @TTChelps tweets, ensuring that the responses they give do not violate the collective agreement or the TTC`s legal obligations. It may also be beneficial for parties to develop policies acceptable to both parties, where such information should be provided, and where tweeters should simply be informed that if they wish to file a complaint, they should contact the TTC by telephone or through the TTC website (paragraph: Read the letter from the TTC CEO, Rick Leary, to ATU President Carlos Santos on ongoing collective bargaining.
Today, we are taking these two issues to the Ministry of Labour. ATU Local 113 is disappointed but not surprised. We expect TTC CEO Rick Leary to create unnecessary conflict anywhere, anytime. . The TTC`s proposal included a bonus for employee hard work, including work done during the COVID-19 pandemic, and aimed to give the company the flexibility it needs to respond to a dynamic and ever-changing environment. In particular, the TTC package included: We will continue to provide updates on this page in the coming weeks, where and when applicable. “It`s unfortunate that things have come to this point,” said Jaye Robinson, CEO of the TTC. “Our negotiators made a fair and reasonable offer that would allow us to improve service to TTC customers while modernizing and ensuring the sustainability of our organization. After the talks failed, the TTC has now taken the somewhat unusual step of releasing a letter Leary sent to ATU Local 113 President Carlos Santos detailing some of the points in the Transportation Commission`s final offer to the union. Here`s the full text of a letter sent today by Leary to ATU Local 113 President Carlos Santos: We have a plan to keep drivers and members safe and have asked the TTC to work with us from the very beginning. In response, CEO Rick Leary decided to unilaterally and illegally change working conditions – not once, but twice: since the TTC is classified as an essential service, its unionized employees cannot strike or be locked out.
The TTC recorded a $332 million drop in revenue in 2020 due to a significant decline in ridership and similar financial pressures are also expected in 2021. – Creation of a category of part-time operators to allow more flexibility and attract different demographics to the workplace, tried to do this without negative impact on existing employees. – Modification of the structure of the Sunday bonus so that it allows costs to be contained without removing this advantage, and generous increase in the shift premium and the craft premium. – Provide real and material improvements in performance sought by the union in order to provide better support to workers when they need it most, in exchange for administrative changes that would not affect the level of benefits received by workers. .