A TTC strike could slam Toronto to a halt as early as 12:00 a.m. on June 7, and commuters are already preparing for the worst.

Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 113, which represents some 11,500 employees of the city's transit network and is the largest TTC union, is gearing up for a potential strike as negotiations with the transit agency continue behind the scenes.

While TTC CEO Rick Leary has stated that he was "hopeful" that the commission would reach a fair deal with thousands of staffers who threatened job action in April, a work stoppage is looking more likely as the possible strike date looms.

As the city grows more nervous about a strike's possible impacts on transportation, blogTO spoke with several commuters outside of Union Station for their take on the potential job action.

@blogto We spoke to Toronto about how they're feeling about the possible TTC strike📷 #Toronto #Ontario #Canada #TorontoOntario #TorontoCanada #OntarioCanada #TikTokToronto #TorontoTikTok #TTC #TorontoTransit #Subway #subwaystation #TTCStation #union #transitTO #unions #strike #picketline 📷@betabriii 📷 @antonwongvideo ♬ original sound - blogTO

One rider predicts a strike would be a "pain in the ass" for TTC riders, and raises concerns about various issues, including employees possibly losing their jobs due to lateness, and the elderly and disabled customers who rely on public transit.

Concerns about commuting to work were echoed by other transit users, including one who faces near-impossible commute times if subway service is impacted.

"If I'm coming from Vaughan, it's already over an hour, hour and a half," said one TTC user. "I don't know how I'm going to get to work at that point because I need to hop on the subway and then the streetcar. That's going to be frustrating."

Another TTC rider said that, while walking will still be an option for them, it's a 30-minute walk, and, with a hot and humid summer expected in the city, heat stroke is a concern.

"Doing that 30-minute walk in the middle of summertime would be really rough for me, personally."

One commuter says that the possible strike action "speaks to a broader systemic issue on both the supply side/infrastructure side of the TTC itself, as well as unhappiness, it seems, on the worker side."

The passenger noted that current Gardiner Expressway maintenance combined with impacts to TTC service could create a "multiplier effect" that would grind the city to a crawl.

If the strike moves forward, it would mark the first such TTC strike in 16 years. Back in 2008, a brief strike lasted less than two days before full service resumed.

A City report at that time said the work action was going to cost our economy $50 million each day it dragged on — a figure that adjusts for inflation to almost $70.75 million in 2024 dollars.

With files from Becky Robertson