A union representing 8,000 municipal workers is accusing the City of Toronto of refusing to bargain in good faith.
Mark Ferguson, president of CUPE Local 416, made the comments Thursday, saying the city has abandoned negotiations with his membership, despite there being only two weeks left in the collective bargaining agreement between the city and the union.
"I don't think this mayor is concerned about fairness in the least," Ferguson told CP24. "All his actions to date have been actions that hurt vulnerable communities."
CUPE Local 416 represents the city's outside workers which includes garbage collectors, parking attendants and paramedics among others.
CUPE Local 79, which will also be in a strike position at midnight, Dec. 31 2011, represents about 10,000 of the city's inside workers.
In an appearance on CP24 Thursday morning, Mayor Rob Ford refuted Ferguson's allegations.
"They are factually incorrect. We didn't walk away from the table and are bargaining in good faith," he said. "That's what we want and that's what the taxpayers want. Let's get a deal and let's move on."
Ford said he expected a settlement to be reached between the union and the city before any sort of labour action.
"I have talked to the frontline workers," he said. "They need a paycheck. They have mortgages, they have families and they don't want to go weeks or months without a check."
For more of Ford's interview follow this link.
