More than 20,000 of the city's inside workers will start work-to-rule campaign this morning after contract negotiations with the city failed to produce a tentative agreement over the weekend.
The job action means while city-run child care centres and permit offices will remain open, workers will refrain from taking on extra duties, staying late or working through breaks.
The two sides were unable to make substantial progress even after extending the strike deadline twice.
Tim Maguire, president of CUPE Local 79, the union representing workers, told CP24 Monday that talks continue today.
"We don’t think we are at a stalemate yet in the sense that we are not talking. We are continuing to talk," he said.
Maguire said he hopes that the work-to-rule campaign will force the city to "pay attention to the issues."
The spokesperson said he doesn't believe the union is asking for a lot of additional money.
"If the city wanted to, we could talk about how many hours our members put in for free by doing extra duties outside their primary job duties and not taking their breaks and lunches," he said.
One of the sticking points in the negotiations, Maguire said, is job security and stability.
Speaking to reporters following a meeting with Premier Kathleen Wynne Monday morning, Mayor John Tory said the city has put forward 11 proposals to the union since negotiations began and said two of those proposals were made on Sunday.
"I hope this shows the kind of good faith we are bringing to the table," Tory said.
The mayor would not say whether the city will consider locking out workers.
"We are 100 per cent focused on getting a collective agreement," he added.