{"id":48469,"date":"2026-05-16T23:09:16","date_gmt":"2026-05-16T23:09:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/48469\/"},"modified":"2026-05-16T23:09:16","modified_gmt":"2026-05-16T23:09:16","slug":"just-pay-people-toronto-transit-riders-sound-off-as-ttc-electrical-workers-lockout-deadline-gets-pushed-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/48469\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Just pay people&#8217;: Toronto transit riders sound off as TTC electrical workers&#8217; lockout deadline gets pushed back"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>What to know<\/p>\n<p>The TTC and CUPE Local 2 have agreed to extend the lockout deadline to 6 p.m. on Saturday.<\/p>\n<p>A possible lockout could impact subway maintenance and responses to signal issues across Toronto\u2019s transit system.<\/p>\n<p>Transit riders interviewed by Now Toronto said they are worried about service disruptions but largely support workers fighting for fair pay.<\/p>\n<p>Political leaders including Olivia Chow and Doug Ford are urging both sides to reach a deal ahead of next month\u2019s FIFA World Cup events.<\/p>\n<p>Torontonians remain concerned as TTC negotiations with electrical workers continued into Saturday after both sides agreed to extend the lockout deadline.<\/p>\n<p>The TTC and CUPE Local 2, the union representing roughly 700 electrical workers, have been at the bargaining table attempting to negotiate a new contract after the previous agreement expired in mid-March.<\/p>\n<p>However, beginning at 6:01 p.m. Saturday, the TTC will be in a legal position to lock out workers after the province granted the agency a no-board report last month.<\/p>\n<p class=\"nt-read-more__title no-margin-top\">Read More<\/p>\n<p>A lockout could impact several parts of the transit system, including subway maintenance operations and responses to signal issues.<\/p>\n<p>Both CUPE Local 2 and the TTC have identified wages as a major sticking point in negotiations. TTC CEO Mandeep Lali has argued that the union\u2019s demands are too high and said they would increase compensation costs by approximately $86,000 per employee over a three-year agreement.<\/p>\n<p>Politicians, including Mayor Olivia Chow and Premier Doug Ford, have both urged the two sides to reach a deal, especially with FIFA World Cup matches set to begin next month.<\/p>\n<p>Transit riders concerned about potential TTC lockout<\/p>\n<p>Now, transit riders across Toronto are voicing their concerns ahead of the deadline, including Tamanna, who told Now Toronto that the possibility of no deal being reached is upsetting.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe transit is so important to the city, it keeps our city moving, the city is so large and so many people depend on it every single day,\u201d she told Now Toronto.<\/p>\n<p>Despite her concerns, Tamanna says she still hopes any agreement reached benefits workers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJust pay people,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n<p>Obaid, another TTC rider, told Now Toronto he understands a lockout could create challenges for passengers but still supports the union\u2019s position.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUnions have to fight for what they want; it\u2019s not easy, the cost of living is not high,\u201d he said. \u201cIt can inconvenience some people, but if that\u2019s what it takes to get what they want, then it\u2019s alright.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Matthew Ryan says he does not use transit often because he believes the TTC has long struggled with operational issues, but he hopes workers secure a fair agreement.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI hope they get it resolved quickly because obviously these workers deserve pay, skilled workers are in demand right now,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>While Ryan says a potential lockout would not affect him significantly, he sympathizes with riders who rely heavily on the TTC.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI hope they come to a peaceful resolution as soon as possible,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"What to know The TTC and CUPE Local 2 have agreed to extend the lockout deadline to 6&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":47233,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[20812,48,8703],"class_list":["post-48469","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-toronto","tag-cupe-local-2","tag-toronto","tag-ttc"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48469","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48469"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48469\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47233"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48469"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48469"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48469"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}