The president for one of the unions representing workers on strike says that if there isn't an agreement by midnight on Sunday, the union will be done negotiating.
During a press conference on Friday afternoon, CUPE Local 416 president Mark Ferguson said there must be a full settlement by that time or "we are finished."
This indicates the union will walk away from the bargaining table and continue picketing indefinitely.
That means "the negotiations, from our perspective, will be over. There will be nothing else to negotiate, and we will ride this labour disruption through to a conclusion."
Ferguson said he would join other union members on the picket line after that date.
"I am a patient man but I am close to the end of my rope," he said.
He says there will be intense negotiations over the weekend to come to a deal by Sunday.
Ferguson says the union is very serious about getting members back to work, but accuses the city of not being "serious" in negotiations.
In a statement released shortly after the union's news conference, David Miller said the city's negotiating staff is ready to bargain around the clock through the weekend.
"I am pleased that Local 416 will now bring that sense of urgency to the table. The City has been and remains fully prepared to bargain 24 hours a day to reach an agreement that is fair to our workers and affordable to Torontonians," said Miller.
Ferguson says there is a lot of ground to cover between now and Sunday night but wouldn't say how close the two sides are to getting a deal.
"A few minutes ago I told city negotiators that time is running out," he says.
Some 24,000 civic workers have been on strike for the last 33 days. The dispute is over changes to sick days, job security and seniority.
Ferguson expressed sympathy for the striking members, addressing the financial pressure they are facing without a regular paycheck.
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