Statement from Mandeep S. Lali, Chief Executive Officer, TTC, on negotiations with CUPE Local 2
As I’ve said from the beginning, the TTC is committed to reaching a fair and financially sustainable agreement with the 700 highly skilled electrical workers represented by CUPE Local 2 through a respectful and constructive dialogue. Since my last update on April 30, discussions have been ongoing.
Let me be clear. The TTC values the important and highly skilled work performed by CUPE Local 2 members. I began my career as a transit electrician, and I understand the safety-critical nature of this work. At the same time, the TTC has an obligation to manage public resources responsibly. Every dollar committed at the bargaining table is a dollar paid by taxpayers and riders, and every long-term cost decision has consequences for service reliability and affordability.
The union’s current proposal would add approximately $40 million in additional costs over the term of the agreement. This is on top of a compensation package that already places CUPE Local 2 members at the high end of the public‑sector pay and benefits spectrum.
That existing package includes provisions that are significantly more generous than those found in most comparator agreements, including:
- Double an employee’s regular hourly rate for overtime work
- A 25% premium for Sunday work
These provisions already provide CUPE Local 2 members with a level of compensation that exceeds most comparable agreements, before any additional increases now being sought.
CUPE Local 2’s most recent agreement also delivered wage increases totaling 14.9% over four years, exceeding the 14.65% negotiated by the City of Toronto with CUPE Local 416. Even so, the TTC’s current offer continues to provide above‑inflation increases and wage growth that exceeds comparable transit agreements.
Taken together, the union’s proposal is not fair, reasonable or affordable for the TTC, and it is not aligned with what other TTC employees or most Torontonians can expect to earn over the next three years. Advancing proposals of this scale makes reaching a negotiated settlement more difficult and frustrates progress at the bargaining table.
The TTC cannot agree to proposals that place an unfair burden on taxpayers, customers and thousands of other frontline TTC employees.
The TTC remains at the table, ready to negotiate, all day, every day to reach a fair and financially sustainable agreement that supports employees and protects reliable transit service for the millions of customers who rely on us daily.
It is important to note that at this time, there is no change to TTC service. Customers should continue to rely on official TTC channels for confirmed real-time updates.
Mandeep S. Lali, CEO
Toronto Transit Commission