Commuters travelling on Highway 407 Wednesday morning shouldn't be slowed down by the strike of more than 100 of the highway's workers, the union and toll-route operator say.
Customer service staff, represented by CAW Local 414, will begin picketing Wednesday at 7 a.m. outside the 407 ETR's Woodbridge headquarters on Steeles Avenue West, the union says. There could be delays for customers calling about bills or technical problems but highway use is expected to continue as normal since tolls are electronic rather than through booths, said Kevin Sack, an ETR vice-president.
"We've been negotiating. We don't want a strike, nobody wants a strike," he said, declining to say why staff didn't accept a new contract.
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Christine Connor, president of Local 414, said the union and ETR are at odds over combining jobs. She said customer service employees and workers who have jobs like checking licence plates have been cross trained recently and are expected to multitask.
"That's the main reason," she said. "They would like respect and dignity in the workplace."
The highway stretches from Burlington to Pickering.