Ontario Legislature Ends Garbage Strike

Danielle Jackson

Toronto -- Ontario lawmakers passed back-to-work legislation on Thursday to end a two-week strike by city workers, the largest municipal labor disruption in Canadian history.

The law was passed in one day after Ontario Premier Ernie Eves and opposition politicians agreed to appoint arbitrators. The strike began June 26 when garbage collectors walked off the job because local unions and politicians were unable to reach an agreement on wages, job security and benefits. Soon after, about 17,000 more municipal workers went on strike.

The law forces workers back to their jobs as early as Friday, while the labor dispute goes to binding arbitration.