TORONTO, ON – A whopping 470 days after they voted overwhelmingly to join the Canadian Union of Public employees (CUPE), Route Supervisors at the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) have finally been recognized as union members.
“The TTC fought tooth and nail and used every legal stall tactic they could to prevent these workers from having their constitutional rights respected,” said Kristy Davidson, a CUPE National Representative who has been involved throughout the organizing drive. “The TTC could have done the right thing at any point over the last year or two and recognized this group of workers. Instead, they treated them with disrespect, did everything they could to delay the process, and used every legal tactic available to prevent operations supervisors from having a voice.”
Because of a legal challenge raised by the TTC, the case had to proceed to a hearing despite nearly 80 percent of the workers having voted “yes” in November 2019. The case was heard by the Ontario Labour Relations Board. The last day of the hearing was November 3, 2020, and the union and workers have waited months since for the OLRB to issue its decision.
“It is our sincere hope that the TTC is now done with playing games and will start to address the very real issues these workers face – issues that affect the health and safety of workers and the public alike,” said Davidson.
The Route Supervisors decided to unionize after a lack of response by their employer to concerns about issues including health and safety, workload, constant schedule tampering and forced overtime.
“These are people who work around the clock, 24/7, to ensure smooth operation of the TTC in the event of accidents or emergencies, and they deserve better treatment from their employer. We will continue to fight for their rights and a stronger, safer public transit system for everyone.”
CUPE represents more than 80,000 municipal workers across Ontario, including more than 650 workers who maintain critical safety equipment in the TTC.
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For more information, please contact:
Craig Saunders, CUPE Communications, 416-576-7316
