Talks between the Toronto Transit Commission and the union representing its striking workers broke off Saturday as the Ontario legislature prepares to debate proposed back-to-work legislation.Toronto transit users were caught off guard Saturday when service was shut down by a strike. (Robin Rowland/CBC)

Negotiators for the TTC and the Amalgamated Transit Union had resumed talks Saturday afternoon at the request of the provincial ministry of labour. The talks, which were being held at a hotel in Richmond Hill, north of Toronto, broke off before 8 p.m. ET.

Drivers and mechanics went on strike at midnight Friday, leaving thousands of people stranded in the wee hours of Saturday morning. The move came after union members rejected a tentative agreement.

An emergency session of the Ontario legislature will be held Sunday afternoon, beginning at 1:30 p.m. ET, to debate a back-to-work bill for the transit workers.

A news release from the union was issued about 90 minutes before the strike began, announcing that 65 per cent of its members who voted had refused to ratify a tentative contract agreement reached last weekend.

About 1.5 million riders use the TTC every weekday.

Transit users leaving bars, restaurants and other events early Saturday morning were surprised to find themselves without a ride home. Most only learned of the strike after buses and subway trains failed to show up, or because subway station doors were suddenly locked.

"This is unacceptable and it's also irresponsible," Mayor David Miller told a late-night news conference, referring to the union's decision to abandon an earlier pledge to provide 48 hours' notice of a strike.

"I'm extremely disappointed it wasn't ratified, and very concerned the union hasn't honoured the 48-hour notice period," Miller said.

Union leader Bob Kinnear said giving longer notice would have exposed workers "to the dangers of assaults from angry and irrational members of the public."

"We have a legal responsibility to protect the safety of our members, and so does the TTC," he said.

Province planning back-to-work legislation

Liberal Premier Dalton McGuinty said in a release early Saturday that his government will proceed with back-to-work legislation "at the first available opportunity."

Conservative Leader John Tory said in a statement Friday night that McGuinty should call the legislature back "as quickly as possible" to order an end to the strike.

"He's done that. I understand the order has just been signed to have the legislature come back tomorrow," Tory told CBC News on Saturday.

"We will be assisting in any way that we can in the swift passage of the legislation … and so, subject to review of the legislation, we will support it and try to get it through, obviously in time to have this come to an end as soon as possible," he said.

NDP Leader Howard Hampton says his party can live with provisions of the bill, which would impose fines of $2,000 per individual and $25,000 for a union per day.Taxis companies were planning to have more cars than usual on the streets Saturday in Toronto. (CBC)

The lack of notice before the strike blindsided transit riders who stood at bus and subway stops, only to find that service had come to a halt.

"I have to go home to the Beaches area in the east end. It's not running?" asked one man at Union Station.

"I could walk, but it will probably take two hours," said another man who planned to hail a cab.

Deal would have made drivers highest paid in GTA

A majority of the 8,900 union members represented in the contract talks rejected the three-year tentative agreement reached last Sunday, even though Kinnear was happy with the deal and recommended ratification.

The agreement included a three per cent wage increase in each year, plus an improved benefits package. It would have made TTC drivers the highest paid in the Greater Toronto Area, but there were no such guarantees for maintenance workers and mechanics.

"We thought we had a deal as well and we are quite disappointed that this has taken a turn," TTC spokesman Brad Ross told CBC News on Saturday. "The executive of the union did recommend it to its membership.

"All we can do is sit down with the Ministry of Labour and with the Amalgamated Transit Union to find out what the issue is," he said.

"There certainly isn't any more money to put on the table, so we'll just have to find out just what the sticking points are and work as hard as we can to resolve this as quickly as possible."