Most Toronto Transit Commission personnel are members of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113. Total membership (2016) is approximately 10000 members (drivers, ticket collectors and maintenance workers). The ATU has represented Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) workers since 1899; workers of predecessor operators have been represented by the ATU's predecessor, the Amalgamated Association of Street Railway Employees of America. The president of ATU Local 113 was Bob Kinnear from 2003 to February 2017, Carlos Santos from January 2019 to December 2021 and Marvin Alfred since December 2021.
Another 500 workers (signal, electrical and communications workers) are represented by Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 2.
Staff positions
Other than drivers and supervisors, the TTC also employs support staff to keep the system running: maintenance employees to clean vehicles, stations, and other TTC property clearing TTC roadways during winter months engineers and support staff mechanics that maintain all the commission vehicles blacksmiths to make special parts, notably for the streetcar fleet
Union history
Unionized transit workers (Toronto Railway Company from 1899 to 1921, then the TTC after 1921) in Toronto began with: Amalgamated Association of Street Railway Employees of America in 1892 Division 30 of the Amalgamated Association of Street and Railway Employees of America in 1893 Division 113 Chartered – Amalgamated Association of Street Railway Employees of America in 1899 Amalgamated Association of Street and Railway Employees of America in 1903 Amalgamated Transit Union in 1964 Local 113 of the Amalgamated Association of Street, Electric Railway and Motor Coach Employees of America in 1952
Memorial
TTC employees who have lost their lives in the line of duty:
Reynold Achong – maintenance worker (electrician) hit by train while working on tracks at Summerhill station, June 1, 1982 Jimmy Trajceski – ticket collector stabbed to death at Victoria Park station, 1995 Tony Almeida – maintenance worker hit by unsecured scaffolding while removing asbestos from a tunnel south of Lawrence station, April 23, 2007 Peter Pavlovski – maintenance worker struck by work car while working at track level north of Yorkdale Station, September 14, 2012 Tom Dedes – maintenance track worker struck by work car and pinned into TTC pickup truck while off-loading equipment at McCowan Yard, October 1, 2017
2012 budget process
In an effort to cut 10% out of its 2012 operating budget – a request made by the Rob Ford administration to all City departments – the TTC announced that it would have to roll back service on most routes to loading and service standards from 2008. On September 19, 2011, the TTC announced that 250 non-union jobs would be eliminated. The cuts to the non-union positions will consist of both layoffs and "voluntary separation packages". It was also announced that 232 unionized "frontline" (operators and collectors) positions would be eliminated through attrition. It was also revealed that a further 500–600 unionized jobs could be eliminated next year by contracting out various positions in clerical and maintenance related departments.
Labour disputes
Strikes and labour disputes have affected TTC service on various occasions:
1952: Strike shuts down TTC service for 19 days
1970: Strike, 12 days
1974: Strike, 23 days
1978: Strike, 8 days
1989: Labour disruption, 41 days. (While not an actual strike, service was significantly disrupted.) 1991: Strike, 8 days April 19, 1999: Strike, 2 days. May 29, 2006: Labour dispute, 1 day. April 26, 2008: Strike, under 2 days.
Uniforms
Since September 2014 new uniforms are being phased in to replace current stock, but some elements will remain until new designs are selected or acquired.
For Operators/Collectors:
light blue shirt with TTC crest (long and short sleeves) grey shorts or slacks windbreakers – red/white trim with TTC logo on shoulder and back (new) or maroon with white trim and logo on chest (old) winter parkas with grey accents (current) – an attempt to introduce blue jackets in place of the familiar maroon ones in the 1990s failed) dark navy blue blazers with TTC crest (current) dark navy blue sweaters and sweater vests (current) dark navy blue golf-style shirts with TTC crest (current) ball caps – red with black TTC word mark (new) or blue with white TTC word mark (old) dark navy blue toques with TTC lettering during the winter months (current)
For maintenance staff: