A union representing nearly 30,000 indoor city workers says its members will go on strike Monday morning if the city doesn’t agree to their demands.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 79 (CUPE79) president Nas Yadollahi said the city’s bargaining team “has not taken negotiation seriously.”
At a press conference on Wednesday, she said the city’s latest offer, which was received yesterday, “still falls short.”
“They are playing games with the livelihoods of 30,000 frontline workers and the vital services that the residents of Toronto rely on,” she said of the city.
The union’s members work in areas like public health, ambulance dispatch, shelter services, water and food inspection, child care and long-term care, among other services.
Yadollahi said her team will take Wednesday to review the latest offer and send a counter-proposal, adding she hopes a deal can still be struck ahead of the March 10 deadline.
“But make no mistake, if there is no deal by just past midnight on Monday morning, we will walk off the job,” she said.
The city’s latest offer to CUPE79
Toronto city manager Paul Johnson outlined the city’s most recent offer to CUPE79 on Wednesday.
“It starts with eliminating minimum wage for all workers,” he said.
Wage increases have been a significant sticking point in CUPE79’s negotiations. Yadollahi has said many of the union’s workers make minimum wage and lack benefits.
The pay boost is a concession from Johnson’s Feb. 28 update, when he said the city’s previous offer meant 92 per cent of all part-time recreation hours would be paid above the minimum — a move that would have cost the city nearly $3 million.
Under the current offer, all CUPE79 members would earn above minimum wage.
The city’s general offer is a four-year contract to increase wages across-the-board between 3 and 3.95 per cent year-over-year until 2028, or just under 15 per cent throughout the life of the deal.
While that offer stands, Johnson said the city has since upped the ante as the negotiations head into the final stages.
As part of the city’s latest offer, child care aides and personal support workers would receive a nearly 17 per cent bump over four years.
Registered nurses would see a 22 per cent pay increase, while paramedic dispatchers would be handed a 30 per cent wage boost.
“That is about making sure that we can attract, train and retain the very best,” Johnson said.
The city has also adjusted its offer to incorporate more benefits for CUPE79 workers, like better vision care and extending coverage to some part-time staff.
The impact of a CUPE79 strike
If the union strikes, the city’s 39 early learning and child care centres will close. Recreation centres and city-run March break camps will also be cancelled, though refunds will be issued.
The city said it has contingency plans to redeploy city workers employed outside of CUPE79 to keep other services, including city-run shelters and long-term care homes running.
Emergency responses like police, fire and paramedic services would not be affected by a CUPE79 strike.
Johnson said he’s confident there will be enough time to strike a deal before Monday. Still, he said he wants to reach an agreement before Friday night to ensure parents have enough time to make alternate arrangements for March break, if necessary.
Johnson said other city services could also be impacted by a CUPE79 strike, including city permit processes and bylaw enforcement procedures.
The two sides have been negotiating since December 2024, when CUPE79’s last contract with the city ended.
The city’s main offer for four-year contracted wage boosts is similar to the deal the city gave to CUPE416 at the end of 2024. The deal was accepted by CUPE416, the city’s union for outdoor workers.
The agreement with CUPE416 will cost the city nearly $60 million.
CUPE416’s paramedic union rejected the deal and has moved on to arbitration with the city.
CUPE79, however, is much larger than CUPE416 and Yadollahi has said the same deal is not appropriate for her union.
On Feb. 28, Yadollahi said the CUPE416 deal won’t work for CUPE79 because they represent an “entirely different workforce.”
The recent city budget has a $300 million fund for labour negotiations in 2025.
Exceeding that $300 million fund is “not an option right now,” Johnson said on Wednesday.
This year, the city still has to negotiate new contracts with the police and CUPE2998’s nearly 300 community centre workers.
The city is also awaiting the results of the CUPE416 paramedics’ union arbitration, and another arbitration process with the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 3888’s nearly 3,000 first responders.
This story was updated after publication to include comments from Toronto city manager Paul Johnson.
CORRECTION: This story was updated after publication to clarify the city's Feb. 28 offer.
