The union that represents nearly 11,000 TTC workers is warning commuters about potential service impacts following the expiration of an agreement that allowed employees to work a significant amount of overtime when required.

The TTC and ATU Local 113 previously had an agreement that allowed members to work up to 64 hours a week but the union decided not to extend the agreement after it expired on April 30 due to concerns over the “failure of the TTC to fill vacant positions.”

As a result, ATU Local 113 members can now only be required to work up to 48 hours per week as stipulated by the Employment Standards Act.

“With fewer workers on the job, we are warning riders of potential service impacts,” ATU Local 113 President Frank Grimaldi said in a statement issued on Wednesday afternoon. “The city is in this position today because for far too long, the TTC neglected to hire enough workers to properly run our public transit system.

TTC had sought to extend agreement

In a statement provided to CP24, the TTC said that it had sought to extend the overtime agreement until July 31 but was notified by the union on April 20 of its intent to let the deal lapse.

The TTC said that while the overtime agreement did allow them to “save on certain service costs, mostly on weekend closures,” it stressed that its cessation will not impact regular service.

“Service will not be affected. The TTC hires hundreds of operators a year to ensure service needs are met and we adjust our hiring levels accordingly,” the statement says.

For his part, Grimaldi said that the TTC has been operating with up to 12 per cent of its maintenance positions unfilled and has “relied on overtime” to get by.

He said that workers are concerned that the TTC is leaving the positions unfilled as a precursor to privatizing some jobs.

“ATU Local 113 is committed to the continuity of service while the TTC hires more public transit workers to ensure safe and reliable operations,” he said.

Dispute comes amid labour negotiations

The expiration of the agreement allowing TTC employees to work up to 64 hours a week comes just two weeks after negotiations on a new collective agreement broke down.

At the time, ATU Local 113 accused the TTC of ending contract negotiations in order to “sit and wait for the Ontario Ministry of Labour to appoint a conciliator.”

The TTC, however, said that it was committed to “good faith bargaining” and simply felt that a conciliator would help move negotiations forward.

The TTC was declared an essential service in 2011 and therefore members of ATU Local 113 cannot legally strike.