Contract out cleaning jobs & you'll pay more.

That's the Amalgamated Transit Union's message to the TTC.

At City Hall Thursday, the Toronto Transit Commission is debating contracting out the work of 160 people who clean buses & stations.

Staff says the move would save the TTC $4-million over a couple years.

But Bob Kinnear, President of ATU Local 113 says if the TTC does it, they'll have to cough up $10-million & $13-million  extra a year.

Kinnear is threatening not to sign an agreement that allows their workers to pull overtime hours at no extra cost to the TTC.  Without an exemption, public sector workers in Ontario aren't supposed to work more than 48 hours a week.

Kinnear says not signing would be within the union's rights & within the parameters of their collective agreement.

TTC Chair Karen Stintz says if the union takes that course of action, the commission will hire more workers.  That would put the TTC out $4-million.

The union boss says they will not go out of their way to save the TTC money as they're contracting out workers.

Councillor Raymond Cho has introduce a motion to defer a vote on contracting out TTC cleaning jobs until October 18th.

A final decision has to be made by October 31st when the bids on the contracting jobs expire.