Maureen O'Reilly (centre behind microphone), president of CUPE Local 4948, addresses Toronto public library workers gathered outside City Hall on March 19, 2012. Toronto's 2,300 library employees walked off the job after 5 p.m. Sunday, shuttering 98 branches across the city.Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail
With a strike or lockout deadline for Toronto's indoor workers less than two days away, the city has released a full list of services that would be cancelled in the event of a labour disruption.
City-run daycares, community centres, arenas and swimming pools are among the facilities that would be partly or completed closed if members of CUPE Local 79 walk off the job at 12:01 a.m. Saturday.
Management could lock out workers at the same hour.
The president of CUPE Local 79 – the city's largest union with 23,000 members – promised earlier this week that his workers would not strike unless the city unilaterally imposes a new contract, as it threatened to do with the outside workers in February.
Deputy Mayor Doug Holyday would not say Thursday whether the city intends to take that step. He accused the union of failing to come to the table and engage in serious talks. Cim Nunn, a CUPE spokesman, said Thursday that his bargaining team planned to submit a new set of proposals before the end of the day.
"We want a deal and we'll stay at the table as long as there's an opportunity to negotiate one," he said.
Unlike Toronto's last major strike in 2009, garbage collection won't be affected. CUPE Local 416, which represents 6,000 outdoor workers, settled with the city in February.
Municipal services affected by a labour disruption would include:
- Closing of 52 city-run daycares
- Closing of municipal museums, art galleries and cultural facilities, including Fort York, Spadina Museum and Todmorden Mills.
- Suspension of investigation of private property violations, including graffiti complaints
- Closing of indoor pools
- Closing of community centres, fitness clubs and curling clubs
- Partial closing of arenas. City-run arenas will remain open to permit holders, such as hockey teams, whose activities aren't coached or supervised by city employees. Arenas run by boards of management stay fully open.
For a complete list of affected services, please see the city's website.
Kelly Grant