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“This is far from over,” he added. “We may have lost the battle, but we sure as hell won’t lose the war.”

Mr. Kinnear’s comments came after a tense and emotionally charged meeting packed with dozens of transit workers who shouted their dismay at the outsourcing move, which staff estimate will save $4.29-million annually.

“I ain’t on the gravy train, people,” bus cleaner Carmen Miller complained, earning a standing ovation from supporters. “It passed me, forgot to stop and let me on.”

In recommending privatization, staff noted that in-house cleaning and servicing “has not met the expectations of our customers regarding bus cleanliness.”

We outsource because we think we can get the same job done at a reduced cost

TTC chair Karen Stintz called Mr. Kinnear’s declaration of war “unfortunate,” saying the board did not take the decision lightly and would stand up for riders in the event of any intentional service disruption on the part of union members.

“We don’t outsource for the sake of it. We don’t,” she said. “We outsource because we think we can get the same job done at a reduced cost.”

Ms. Stintz said the TTC gave the union an opportunity to offer a competitive bid with wages in the realm of $18 an hour — about $10 less than cleaners currently earn — but the overture was rebuffed. Mr. Kinnear said he never saw the offer, and accused TTC management of “fabricating” its numbers.

Councillors were divided on the issue, with Glenn De Baeremaeker likening the contracting-out move to “cannibalizing the system that we want to maintain” and John Parker denouncing the level of “hyperbole” that coloured the debate.