TORONTO, ON – This morning, members of Local 113 of the Amalgamated Transit Union moved to restore union democracy following a unilateral attempt by suspended president Bob Kinnear to remove the Local from its 120 year-old union. Kinnear’s secretive effort to split Local 113 away from its fellow ATU Canada Locals was done without the members’ knowledge or consent or that of their Executive Board. Because his actions represent a clear violation of the union’s Constitution and General Laws, the International Union has placed the Local in Temporary Trusteeship.
The Union, a Canadian and American International Union, is based at the Tommy Douglas Center, in Maryland, and represents 200,000 members in Canada and the US. The Trusteeship is led by former Local 113 Executive Vice President Manny Sforza, who has appointed other officers of Local 113 elected by its members to assist him during the Trusteeship.
The purpose of the Trusteeship is to restore democratic procedures and assure continuous representation of the 10,000 members, mostly TTC employees. The Trustee will be communicating directly with the members and the public in the coming hours and days. We are committed to continuing the 120-year long tradition of serving ATU Local 113 members in Ontario with the same high standards our union has always followed.