As Wayne stated: ""It's not right to do it at midnight, we should just shut down at 2:30 at the end of service," said Wayne Cook, ticket collector at Ossington, swarmed by confused commuters. "Bob Kinnear has a lot to answer for, for the way he's handled things."
Staff Reporter
The midnight strike came as a shock to both TTC workers and commuters out on the town, leaving many stranded with few options for getting home.
The workers overwhelmingly rejected the tentative agreement and announced at 10:47 p.m. that a strike was imminent.
In subways, an announcement was made at 11:23 p.m. telling ticket collectors over their private intercom that service would be shutting down at midnight.
A public announcement didn't start until almost 11:30 p.m.
It was barely enough time for many in the downtown core to find alternate routes home.
"No way, no way," Jorge Bayona, out with friends at Yonge-Dundas Square, said at 11:40 pm. "You're kidding me. We live an hour away."
The shock on his face escalated to panic, and he and his friends started trying to conjure up contingency plans.
Danielle Consett, 25, also expressed anger at the TTC's union for voting against the tentative agreement – in favour of a last-minute strike.
"It's a danger to society," she said. "It's selfish. We have rights, too. We have the right to know about a strike 48 hours in advance."
Some TTC workers, on the job, expressed concern about their safety when asking people to leave the station, evident by the announcement heard at many stations: "If you're having difficulty closing your station, let us know."
"I'm kind of worried about how it will be when the last train comes and I'm dealing with a lot of angry people," said a ticket collector, who didn't want to give her name.
One man, who tried to get on a southbound train after they had just closed off the service about 11:50, starting cursing at her.
"We have to stick together," the ticket collector said. "If they are going to contract out with the maintenance people, where does it end?"
But other TTC workers were less sympathetic.
"It's not right to do it at midnight, we should just shut down at 2:30 at the end of service," said Wayne Cook, ticket collector at Ossington, swarmed by confused commuters. "Bob Kinnear has a lot to answer for, for the way he's handled things."
With files from Michele Henry, Jason Paul, Paola Lorrigio
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