EON

Toronto – 30,000 Toronto civic workers returned to their jobs on Monday after 35 days of negotiations between the city and the Canadian Union of Public Employees. Toronto’s outside city workers in local 416 gave the city an ultimatum on Friday, asking them to settle within 48 hours or local union 416 would cease talks. Mark Ferguson, president of the union, stated the agreements were a “framework for settlement” rather than a tentative deal with the Toronto city leaders.

The city wide strike has affected public health services, garbage pick up, and the city run pools and daycare services. The union wished to negotiate for lost benefits such as job security and seniority. A particularly heated debate took place over the city’s idea to change the employee sick plan. City employees would no longer be able to stock up days and turn them into cash at retirement. Ferguson is still working with fellow union workers in local 79, the city’s outside workers, who did not set deadlines for the negotiations. Ferguson hopes to work out the same “framework for settlement” with the city for local 79. Negotiations are set to start again early Monday morning.