Canadian Ousted Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113 TTC union head accuses parent association of intimidating officials

Canadian Ousted Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113 TTC union head accuses parent association of intimidating officials
The suspended president of the TTC’s largest union is accusing the association’s American-based parent organization ATU of coercing union officials into signing a “loyalty pledge” against him.
https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/transportation/2017/02/06/ousted-ttc-un...

Bob Kinnear was relieved of his duties as president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113 on Friday when ATU International abruptly placed the union under trusteeship. (VINCE TALOTTA / TORONTO STAR FILE PHOTO)

By BEN SPURRTransportation Reporter
Mon., Feb. 6, 2017

The suspended president of the TTC’s largest union is accusing the association’s American-based parent organization of coercing union officials into signing a “loyalty pledge” against him.

Bob Kinnear, longtime president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113, was relieved of his duties Friday when ATU International abruptly placed the local under a trusteeship.

The Maryland-based parent union alleged that Kinnear had attempted to disaffiliate Local 113 from it without the consent of the local’s members or executive board.

Last week Kinnear wrote to the Canadian Labour Congress last week to begin the process that could have led to disaffiliation, but he has asserted he had the backing of the local’s members and intended to put the issue to vote.

Representatives of ATU International, which represents close to 200,000 transit workers in the U.S. and Canada, removed all 17 union executives from their positions on Friday, but swiftly reinstated 10 of them.

Each reinstated member willingly signed a document denouncing Kinnnear’s “unilateral and unauthorized” attempt to disaffiliate, according to ATU International. Similar letters have since been signed by other officials at the local.

In a news release issued Sunday evening, Kinnear accused ATU International of “intimidating elected local union representatives into signing prepared letters that agree with the American union’s trusteeship of the local.”

The release claimed that local union members had feared for their jobs if they didn’t sign the documents, which Kinnear characterized as a “loyalty pledge” to ATU International.

In an interview Monday morning, the international vice-president of ATU International who is leading the trusteeship called the allegations of coercion “completely absurd.”

“There was never any threats, no intimidation whatsoever. Everybody signed freely and willingly,” said Manny Sforza.

He said the letters were “a message of solidarity and support” for ATU International stepping in to remove Kinnear, “and the support is overwhelming.”

A news release from ATU International said 72 per cent of the ATU Local 113’s shop stewards had voluntarily signed the letters opposing Kinnear’s actions. “It’s not just a majority, it’s a super majority,” Sforza said.

According to the release, all stewards, including those who refused to sign the letter, were still on the job Monday.

While the dispute has exposed rifts at Local 113, it could prove to be a boon for other Canadian unions. According to a letter from the Canadian Labour Congress and provided to the Star by ATU International, the congress has suspended the protections that prevent other unions from “raiding” ATU Local 113’s membership.

Kinnear said that means other unions “can now go into our local and start signing cards.”

A spokesperson for the CLC did not immediately return a request for comment Monday.

Asked if he was working with other unions to recruit members of Local 113 into their shops, Kinnear told reporters Monday that he has had “numerous conversations with a variety of organizations.” He said some labour groups had offered financial assistance for the fight against ATU International.

Asked which union he would like to transfer Local 113 members into or which groups he was working with, Kinnear refused to specify.

“I’m hopeful that other organizations, the labour movement, are going to stand behind us and say that we are not alone, that the Canadian labour movement will take on this hard-ass American union that thinks they can come into Canada and squash our democratic rights,” he said.

In a statement posted online Monday, ATU International said Kinnear’s attempts to disaffiliate the local were part of a “campaign” by Unifor, the country’s largest public sector union, to “take over” ATU locals in Canada.

A spokesperson for Unifor didn’t respond to questions from the Star asking if the union was attempting to sign up Local 113 members. The organization represents 310,000 workers across the country, including employees of the Toronto Star.

Kinnear is fighting the takeover of the local in court. A hearing on the matter is expected in about two weeks.

ATU Local 113 represents more than 10,000 transit workers in Toronto. Kinnear was first elected its president in 2003 and has been re-elected several times since then. Late last year he ran for the vice-president’s position at ATU International, but was defeated by Sforza.

The infighting at the TTC’s largest union has not affected transit service. The provincial government designated the TTC an essential service in 2011, which stripped its workers of the right to strike.