Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty has weighed in on the threatened TTC strike, telling reporters at Queen's Park on Friday that he isn't ruling out legislation that would bring a quick end to any work stoppage.

At a news conference, McGuinty said previous governments have ordered an end to prolonged transit disruptions and he's open to doing the same thing.

"I think if you check the record, you'll see what governments have traditionally done, but I'm not going to speculate as to the outcome of negotiations during the course of the weekend," he said.

The TTC carries more than 1.5 million passengers every weekday.

The premier also said he's willing to consider declaring the TTC an essential service, but that move would only happen if requested by Toronto city council.

On Thursday, the leadership of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113 announced it had set a strike deadline of 4 a.m. Monday if it failed to reach a negotiated settlement with the employer, the Toronto Transit Commission.

Saying the union "cannot continue to subsidize this transit system," union president Bob Kinnear cautioned that if a deal isn't in place by Sunday afternoon, then the wheels will be put in motion to begin a work stoppage.

The union represents nearly 9,000 TTC drivers, ticket takers, operators and maintenance workers. The main obstacles from the union's perspective are wages and benefits, Kinnear said.

Both sides are expected to continue negotiations throughout the weekend.

TTC chair Adam Giambrone said Thursday the city is committed to reaching a negotiated settlement.

Giambrone said the management negotiating team was willing to put in extra hours over the next few days in order to achieve an agreement, but he wouldn't say whether Mayor David Miller would take a lead role when he returns from his trip to China.

On Friday, Kinnear warned union members in a telephone message to expect more verbal abuse from TTC riders.

"I know the operators will be verbally abused by more passengers than usual," he said. "I know this because I've been there. But keep your cool, show your first-class professionalism and, most of all, stick together."

Kinnear also told members they'll likely hear on Sunday whether a strike will happen.
 
The last time the TTC was affected by a work stoppage was in May 2006.  The one-day illegal walkout caused chaos in the city and cost the TTC about $3 million in lost revenue, it said.

Two smaller unions are also in contract talks with the transit commission. They, too, are in a legal strike position.