In one fell swoop, the 17-member executive of the union representing 11,000 TTC workers has been shown the door.
Now ex-president of Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 113 Bob Kinnear tells NEWSTALK 1010 this was the "heavy-handed" work of their Maryland-based parent union. Trustees appointed by the American arm of the ATU will speak on behalf of Toronto members.
"I feeling quite nauseous to be quite honest with you," an emotional Kinnear shared on Friday. "The American-based union thinks that we're a colony. They don't accept the fact that we're a country and that we have our own autonomy."
Kinnear ties the mass-firing to a request he filed with the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) Wednesday to study the relationship between Local 113 and its parent union. The CLC tells NEWSTALK 1010 Kinnear had asked for its help under Article 4.9 of its constitution which deals with changing unions.
Kinnear says the ATU has painted his correspondence with CLC as proof of "double-unionism".
The labour boss is vowing a legal push back and expects members will "stand up and defend their Canadian autonomy."
"We're not going to allow this American-based union to come in and take over all of our resources and use our money to fight against us when we were simply exercising a right that we have under the Canadian Labour Congress' constitution."
NEWSTALK 1010 has reached out the ATU in the U.S. but have not heard back
In a statement the TTC says the change at the ATU is unrelated to management at the transit agency.
Statement by #TTC on local union matter. pic.twitter.com/7iRN6p8QGf
— Brad Ross (@bradTTC) February 3, 2017
"The agency is working to ensure this matter has no impact on service. The collective agreements between the TTC and its unions remain in place."
The sentiment was echoed by Toronto Mayor John Tory.
"We will, under the management of the TTC and all the very capable front-line workers continue to offer transit service, which is what people will care about," Tory told reporters. "The union will, I'm sure, sort out its political issues in due course, hopefully as soon as possible."