City tells staff to cross picket lines

Toronto employees are expected to find alternatives for commuting and report to work on time

The city of Toronto has told its employees it expects them to cross picket lines and show up to work on time in the event of a TTC strike this Friday, a directive the municipality's largest union says is "harsh" and pits workers against each other.

The city has given little guidance to the public about how to cope with the potential strike that could shut down the transit system and impact other public services as early as 12:01a.m. on Friday.

That's when about 12,000 employees with Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113 could walk off the job, unless it reaches a new contract agreement with TTC management.