The City of Toronto and its 6,000 unionized outside workers remained at the bargaining table early Sunday morning, as a midnight deadline to reach an agreement on a new contract passed without any outcome.

The deadline to hammer out a deal was extended until at least 2 a.m. Sunday. The city had earlier said it would impose terms of its latest contract offer if there was no deal by 12:01 a.m. Sunday.

The offer includes lump-sum pay increases in each year of the four-year offer, and makes changes to contentious job security provisions and other items, including scheduling.

The union had offered to take a three-year wage freeze to reach a deal and maintains the city has not been willing to negotiate seriously.

Officials of CUPE Local 416 say the city is trying to provoke the union but say they intend to remain at the table.

Media clashes continue

Both sides talked to the media Saturday about not talking to the media.

CUPE's national president, Paul Moist, told a news conference in Toronto that he hoped to meet with Deputy Mayor Doug Holyday, who is leading the city's side in negotiations, to tone down the rhetoric that has accompanied the contract dispute.

Both sides have made their thoughts on negotiations known in the media, but Moist criticized Holyday in particular for an opinion piece published in Saturday's National Post that said the negotiations were a "crucible" that would have ripple effects across Canada.

"The entire purpose of [their meeting] is to refocus the efforts of everybody concerned at this critical junction to coming up with a collective agreement and maybe toning down some of the words being used," Moist said.

Holyday told CBC News after Moist's news conference that the focus should be around the negotiating table.

"That's where a solution is going to be found," he said. "It's not going to found calling the media in all the time to complain about this, that and the other."

Moist would not comment on the state of negotiations, except to say he was glad both sides were talking.

Deadline will not mean immediate work stoppage

The local's president, Mark Ferguson, is scheduled to update the media on the progress of negotiations by 4 p.m. ET at the earliest.

The deadline will not mean an immediate labour stoppage. The city expects workers to arrive for work on Sunday, and the union has not taken a strike vote.

The city's 6,000 outside workers collect garbage, do about 25 per cent of the city's snow removal, perform road and park maintenance and run the water filtration plants.

In the event of a work stoppage, garbage drop-off locations and transfer stations would be set up, but curbside pick-up would stop everywhere except Etobicoke, where garbage collection is contracted out.

Paramedics are also part of the union. They must keep staffing levels at 85 per cent during a work stoppage.

With files from The Canadian Press