Amalgamated Transit Union Votes On Tentative Deal Reached With The Toronto Transit Commission

Toronto, Canada (AHN) - Even if a transport strike was averted by the tentative agreement reached Sunday evening between the Toronto Transit Commission and the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113, Toronto's transport problems are not over yet.

The union will ratify the agreement Friday and word went around that some of ATU's board members are not exactly happy with the deal.

The result of the vote among ATU's 9,000 members made up of drivers, mechanics, booth clerks and cleaners is expected to be announced around 10 p.m.

Reports of discontent over the agreement surfaced after a Wednesday night meeting to thresh out details of the deal, particularly on job security and it resulted to a walk out by some maintenance workers and mechanics. The Toronto Star, quoting an email from a union member, said some of the employees raised concern over the warranty repairs performed on new hybrid buses by outsiders, which could lead to the outsiders replacing the union members eventually.

As of Thursday, only 9 of 16 members of the ATU's executive board had signed the agreement. Bob Kinnear, the union president, said a vote of 50 percent plus one vote would ratify the Sunday agreement.

Kinnear declined to comment on reports of grumbling among union members and its repercussion on the vote result. "This is an internal process... The ratification decision is now in the hand of our members. We do not welcome any interference by outside parties or the media. There will be time enough to comment after it's over," Kinnear said in a statement quoted by the Globe and Mail.

TTC chairman Adam Giambrone said he was not worried about reports of union dissatisfaction since he is aware the ATU is divided. In the event that the union fails to ratify the tentative agreement, TTC would resume talks with it to avoid a strike, Giambrone told the Globe and Mail.