City of Toronto tables final offer to CUPE Local 79, including additional wage and benefits proposals

Late yesterday afternoon, the City of Toronto tabled its final offer to Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 79, the union representing the City’s 27,000 inside workers. The offer includes further wage increases for specific positions and expanded benefits.

Some highlights of the City’s offer include:

• Eliminating minimum wage for ALL workers.
• Offering a 14.65 per cent increase to all positions over four years with a minimum of a 3.95 per cent increase in year one, nearly double the current rate of inflation.

The City recognizes that many members of Local 79 are predominantly women and racialized workers such as nurses, child care aides and personal support workers. While City child care workers are already among the best paid in the sector, the City strives to set an example for all employers and is offering the following targeted investments for these specific roles over four years:

• Child care aides – 16.7 per cent
• Personal support workers – 16.8 per cent
• Registered nurses – 22 per cent

Additionally, the City is offering an increase of 29.65 per cent to call takers and emergency medical dispatchers over four years.

The City has also offered to increase guarantees of daily hours and increase the number of guaranteed shifts per pay period for staff working in long-term care homes. These moves will help staff have more stability and predictability in their assignments.

The City’s offer is comprehensive and addresses many of the union’s concerns such as shift premiums and benefits. Some of these benefits include:

• New gender affirming care benefit and family building benefit
• Vision care benefits increase
• Paramedical benefits increase
• Increased access to join the benefit plan for part-time staff

The City’s bargaining team has been at the table with Local 79 since December 2024 and remains committed to negotiating a new collective agreement that reflects the important work of City employees while also providing value for money for Toronto residents and businesses. The union will be in a legal strike position and the City in a legal lockout position at 12:01 a.m., or one minute past midnight, on Saturday, March 8.

Information on City services and bargaining updates can be found on the City’s Bargaining Update website.

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