Toronto strike not over yet

CUPE local 79 votes for new contract, local 416 yet to hold vote
Both unions hashing out back to work protocol before they resume jobs
By Kris Scheuer
(Click here for July 30 update on end of strike)

Strikers are still maintaining picket lines on day 38 of labour unrest.
Today, local 79 that represents city inside workers including long term care nurses and day care workers voted for a new deal. The contract awards them with a six percent raise over three years and options to continue to bank sick days or opt for a buy out and switch to new short term disability plan.
Employees may have voted for the deal today, but they will walking the picket lines rather than back to work tomorrow
Union president Ann Dembinski stated tonight, that Local 79 has ratified the “Memorandums of Agreement”  for its full and part time workers.
However, “Back to work protocols are still being worked on. Please report to your picket site until further notice,” she said in a July 29 statement on CUPE local 79‘s website.

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More Toronto strikers ask to return to work

Since strike began 615 union members request to go back to city jobs

By Kris Scheuer
(Written July 16 for Town Crier newspaper.)
As the city strike nears four weeks, the number of unionized employees asking to come back to work is on the rise. 
On July 15, city hall indicated over 600 members of CUPE locals 416 and 79 had asked to cross the picket lines. 
“We have had, as of an hour ago, 615 people request to come back to work,” city manager Joseph Pennachetti said at a July 15 press conference.
The week before on July 9, city spokesperson Rob Andrusevich told the Town Crier almost 500 strikers had filed paperwork to come back to work.
“There’s a process they have to go through so not all of them are back to work,” Andrusevich said. “We are trying to get them back in jobs that are as similar as possible to the work they were doing.”
On July 3 when the Town Crier asked Mayor David Miller, he indicated over 300 union employees were back on the job at that time.