Staff Reporter
The rumour mill killed the deal that the TTC hammered out with the union last Sunday, says TTC chief general manager Gary Webster.
"Some of our employees genuinely believed that our intentions were to contract out the main work on our buses. Nothing could be further from the truth," he said yesterday.
Rumours began flying last week that the proposed settlement would see maintenance work contracted out and maintenance workers laid off. The rumours intensified as the week progressed and Friday's ratification vote approached.
Webster said some resistance was expected from maintenance workers and mechanics, who make up about 4,000 of the union's 9,000 members. Officers representing maintenance workers on the union's 16-member executive board had not signed off on the tentative deal when it was reached last Sunday.
"We did not expect a strong vote in favour (of the agreement) from the maintenance employees. We expected that transportation would not feel the same way. That's not what happened," said Webster.
"I think some of our transportation employees felt that they needed to hang together."
Rumours were also circulating that the proposed deal would allow maintenance workers with seniority to bump junior drivers from their jobs, a driver told the Star.
At one point during the week, rumours became so pernicious that union president Bob Kinnear sent a telephone voice message to members, warning them that people were spreading malicious rumours.
Kinnear, who originally promised Torontonians that they'd have 48 hours' notice of any TTC strike, called Saturday's surprise strike with just over an hour's notice.
That, he said, was to keep angry transit users from assaulting drivers and other TTC staff.
"We have a legal responsibility to protect the safety of our members and so does the TTC," he said, claiming union members had faced increased threats from passengers.
An email circulating among TTC operators blamed the strike on an attempted coup against Kinnear. He was elected in 2003, against the wishes of the local's executive board.
"That no vote was a vote of non-confidence, while we should have every confidence in Bob" reads the introduction to the email. "I can't imagine how lonely he feels right now."
Beneath the introduction is the text of the forwarded message. It accuses Kevin Morton, the local's executive vice-president, and the maintenance board, of using the issue to try to get rid of Kinnear.
Morton was one of the members of the executive who did not sign off on the tentative deal. Neither Kinnear nor Morton would agree to an interview yesterday.
Several drivers said yesterday they were worried about how they would be treated by the public after the surprise walkout stranded passengers trying to get home. The glass doors at nine stations were smashed after being locked early, said Webster. Several TTC workers were subjected to verbal assaults.
"We've asked the public to treat our people with dignity and respect," said Webster. "That front-line worker didn't cause any of this. You might be paying your fare ... and the operator voted in favour of the contract and he's as frustrated as you are with that."
Extra supervisors and special constables – who can arrest unruly passengers and issue tickets – have been assigned to the system to help support drivers, he said.
At city hall yesterday, Mayor David Miller would not comment on the cause of the walkout, but said he stood by his previous remarks on the matter.
"I want to concentrate on the future," said Miller, who had called the strike "unacceptable and irresponsible."
Asked to explain why the union rejected the tentative deal, Miller replied: "The union has not given us a reason, and it's not appropriate for me to speculate."
The TTC and the union have agreed on an arbitrator and will soon begin discussions on a new deal, he said. Under the back-to-work legislation, all aspects of the contract are up for negotiation.
With files from Tess Kalinowski and Paola Loriggio
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