About 2,200 GO Transit bus operators, station attendants and other employees will go on strike Monday, the union representing them said Friday.
The Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1587 said the planned strike comes after members voted 81 per cent against a contract offer from employer Metrolinx.
The union has said negotiations between the two sides began in April and members have been working without a contract since June 1.
Local president Rob Cormier has said the union's key issues include job security and job safety relating to hiring contract workers from outside companies.
"Our members have made it utterly clear. We will not accept a deal unless it addresses our primary concern, which is contracting out," Cormier said in a written statement.
Cormier said protections against contracting out are the norm at other transit agencies to ensure experienced workers are safely operating buses. Without those practices in place, he said inexperienced workers can be hired at low wages.
"We have had enough -- starting Monday, we will walk the picket lines until we reach an agreement that protects job security for our current and future members," he said in the statement.
Metrolinx did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Cormier said the union remains committed to meeting with Metrolinx to reach a deal that addresses members' concerns.
GO Transit operates in the Greater Golden Horseshoe region.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2022.
