It was relatively short, and anything but sweet. Still, the TTC strike is done.
Workers were legislated back to work Sunday afternoon, thanks to a rare weekend sitting at Queen's Park and a bill that took the parties half an hour to pass and needed only another half hour for Lieutenant Governor David Onley to sign.
So as of 2:30pm Sunday, Bill 66 was law.
When introducing the bill at Queen's Park, the first thing Premier Dalton McGuinty did was thank the people of Toronto for their, "patience, good will, and grace."
Then he and the rest of the legislature, called in for the first Sunday session in 11 years, got to work.
McGuinty introduced legislation that forced TTC workers back on the job after a strike that started at 12:01am Saturday, less than a week after a tentative deal appeared to squash any potential stoppages. Understanding the frustrations 1.5 million riders would likely have pent up, McGuinty asked riders to be "courteous" to drivers and ticket takers.
Brad Duguid, the Liberal Labour Minister, supported the motion, calling the TTC the "backbone and lifeblood of the city ... when people can't get to work, that's a major problem."
He added that mediators had worked with the parties for many weeks, and "parties have had time to resolve the issue themselves."
Next, PC Peter Shurman spoke. He said he supported the motion, also said that his riding was angry: angry at the union, Mayor David Miller, Councillor and TTC Chair Adam Giambrone and McGuinty himself.
"Our party has stated that we support arbitration ... what we want to see there is the "Ability to pay." John Tory had spoken about that clause on Saturday. It would involve looking at whether tax dollars could cover the proposed pay increases.
Finally, he had a word of caution for the embattled Amalgamated Transit Union: "We support his legislation but I do not want to see this happen again. The union owes Toronto an apology."
Last to speak was NDP leader Howard Hampton, fitting since his party was the last on board when the legislation surfaced Saturday. He said he would support the bill, but noted that the NDP does not "support it without reservation." While he agrees with back-to-work legislation, he noted that the preamble indicated that the TTC could be made an essential service. He said he had some questions about that portion.
Still Bill 66 went into second reading and was carried before McGuinty moved for the third reading, which was also quickly carried. And just like that the bill passed and the house was adjourned until Monday, meaning MPs can take the better way to work, if they so choose.
TTC Chief General Manager Gary Webster said that after the legislation passed, the system would be up and running in about four hours, while Giambrone promised full Sunday service would be up by 9pm at the latest and that full service would be available Monday morning. By nightfall there was plenty of evidence on the streets that both were speaking true.
But while riders are certainly satisfied, things aren't so rosy for the workers being forced back without a new contract. What's worse, they can be heavily punished if they don't get right back to it. Any TTC worker that disobeys the back-to-work legislation will face hefty fines of $2,000 per individual, and $25,000 per union or employer for each day would also be charged if the job action continues.
The good news -- if there is any for TTC workers who returned to work as unceremoniously as they left -- is that according to Giambrone the new law means that negotiations will start from scratch.
"It requires the two sides to go back to ground zero," he told CityNews Sunday evening. "Everything's back on the table, and that means wage increases, it means benefits."
All outstanding issues regarding that new contract will be referred to a mediator or arbitrator and both sides have five days to agree on who that individual is before the provincial government appoints someone. They then have 90 days to hammer out a new deal, or Queen's Park will take care of that too.