The Ontario Federation of Labour issued this media release on GlobeNewswire on Thursday, June 6, 2024.
TORONTO, June 6, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) – The Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) is pledging its full support to the 12,000 TTC workers, represented by ATU Local 113, who will be in a legal strike position tonight at midnight.
“With just hours before a possible strike, we are telling the TTC Board: ‘Get a deal now, or expect more than TTC workers on picket lines tomorrow,’” said Laura Walton, OFL President.
Walton and OFL Secretary-Treasurer Ahmad Gaied joined ATU Local 113 President Marvin Alfred at a media conference Thursday morning, alongside labour leaders and TTC riders from across Toronto, who also pledged their support to the workers.
“TTC workers are fighting for a safe, reliable, and accessible transit system,” said Walton. “If they get a fair deal, it will benefit all of us–TTC workers and riders alike.”
Earlier this week, the OFL Executive Board met to discuss plans to mobilize their members and the wider public to support TTC workers, both at the bargaining table and on picket lines.
“We’re doing everything we can, before a strike happens, to help TTC workers get the settlement they deserve,” said Gaied. “But if they’re forced to strike, we’ll have their backs.”
Decades of chronic underfunding, contracting out, and mismanagement have significantly undermined Toronto’s transit system, says the OFL.
“When governments fail to properly fund public transit, the result will be cuts, delays, and safety issues,” added Gaied. “TTC workers are fighting for a better TTC for everyone, and that’s why all of us should support them.”
Speakers at today’s media conference took aim at successive provincial and federal governments that have failed to fund the TTC, despite the central role it plays in the economy.
“We have a Premier who’s giving away a billion dollars in public funds to the Beer Store and other corporations, but can’t support a transit system that millions of workers rely on everyday,” said Walton. “The money’s there to fix this problem, but we need leaders who work for workers, not their corporate buddies.”
The Ontario Federation of Labour represents 54 unions and one million workers in Ontario. It is the largest provincial labour federation in Canada. Visit OFL.ca and follow @OFLabour on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.
For more information, please contact:
Jenny Sellathurai
Interim Director of Communications
Ontario Federation of Labour
jsellathurai@ofl.ca | 416-894-3456
