Talks keep going as deadline passes for possible TTC work stoppage

TORONTO – The Toronto Transit Commission says talks with a union that represents about 700 electrical workers will continue into Saturday evening, after a deadline that had already been extended earlier in the day came and went without a deal.

A bargaining update on the TTC’s website says both parties continue to meet at the table to reach a fair and affordable agreement, and that negotiations with CUPE Local 2 would continue past the 6 p.m. deadline.

The union has posted on social media that the TTC informed it at 5:59 p.m. that it was continuing to review the union’s most recent proposal, and as a result, negotiations will continue.

The TTC and CUPE Local 2 already agreed to extend talks beyond the previous midnight deadline.

A strike would not require the TTC to shut down, a media spokesperson said in an email, adding that contingency plans exist to use managers and supervisors.

The extended negotiations come as the city is ramping up preparations to host several games in the upcoming FIFA World Cup and testing its transportation capacity as hundreds of thousands of visitors are expected to pour in for the international tournament.

Premier Doug Ford weighed in on the negotiations at an unrelated press conference Tuesday, saying he hoped both parties would “come to their senses” to keep trains running during the World Cup.

The transit agency requested and received a no-board report from the Ministry of Labour late last month, setting up a 17-day countdown for legal job action.

Talks between CUPE Local 2 and the TTC stalled about a month after the union said bargaining began.

Earlier this week, TTC CEO Mandeep Lali said the union’s proposal would cost an additional $40 million over the term of the agreement, and the TTC couldn’t accept a deal that would place an unfair burden on taxpayers and transit users.

Meanwhile, the union said competitive wages are critical for a “safe, reliable system” and the TTC’s offer did not reflect the value of the work carried out by its members. 

CUPE Local 2 president Sumit Guleria previously said the TTC’s decision to request a no-board report so soon “raises serious questions about whether the focus is on bargaining or applying pressure to reach a deal ahead of the World Cup, at a time when our members are facing a cost-of-living crisis.”

At the time, TTC CEO Mandeep Lali said the no-board report aimed to create the “structural foundation to reach an agreement before the (World Cup) tournament kicks off in Toronto on June 12.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 16, 2026.