City council will vote on Thursday on whether to ask the province to make public transit an essential service.

The Toronto Transit Commission approved the motion on Wednesday during its first meeting since Rob Ford became mayor in December.

Ford had campaigned on the promise to make the TTC an essential service.

The board voted 6-1 in favour of the motion, which would revoke the transit union's ability to go on strike during a labour dispute.

The lone holdout was Coun. Maria Augimeri, who said according to a C.D. Howe report, arbitrators tended to rule in favour of workers who had lost their right to strike.

"When a service is declared essential, it costs us millions of dollars more and there's no money to do this."

The motion will go before city council on Thursday. If it is approved the province will have to decide whether to approve the request.

Premier Dalton McGuinty said he will consider whatever motion city council brings to him.

"Hopefully it is something sensible and reasonable that we could support," he told reporters Wednesday.

Toronto transit workers last went on strike in April 2008 after the union gave only 90-minutes notice to the public, leaving thousands of commuters stranded.

The province ended the walkout after two days by adopting back-to-work legislation.

Newly minted TTC Chair Karen Stintz said they can't afford to let transit workers hold the city hostage.

"When you look at the cost of disruption, the cost of not being able to get to work, the cost to businesses when they can't get their customers or their employees there – if you look at those broader costs you will see that it is in the interest of the city," Stintz said.

Transit Union boss Bob Kinnear said the essential service label was not the solution, adding that there were ways for disgruntled union members to express their dissatisfaction.

"Even if we're deemed an essential service, that would not restrict us from going on a work to rule," he said, suggesting that option could be just as disruptive as a strike.

With a report from CTV Toronto's Alicia Markson