Author: Stephanie Gomez

ATU Local 113’s United Indigenous Council led a Sunrise Ceremony at Arrow Road yesterday to commemorate Orange Shirt Day and the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation.

Our Vice-President Angie Clark and the Wardens of ATU Local 113 joined in the ceremony to acknowledge the tragic history of Canada, the resilience of Indigenous Peoples of Turtle Island, and to honour the children who were impacted or never returned from residential schools.

Brent Pelletier, a member of the United Indigenous Council of ATU Local 113, addressed the gathering at the Sunrise Ceremony. Speaking of the generational trauma of residential schools Pelletier said, “Every single one of your Indigenous friends is either a residential school survivor, a survivor’s child, a survivor’s grandchild, or all three – Every single one.”

In support of the Indigenous people who are healing from the atrocities of the Residential School System, a Sacred Fire was built and attendees wore ‘Every Child Matters’ orange shirts. The Honour Song was recited to the children whose lives were taken and the survivors, families and communities that were left to put the broken pieces together.

Pelletier, a member of ATU Local 113 for 30 years, said, “The orange shirt symbolizes the stripping of our culture, language, traditions, freedom, and self esteem. So, my message to our young people is: Do everything they tried to destroy. learn and sing our songs, learn our dances, go to our ceremonies, develop your cultural identity, learn your language, and sit with our Elders. Let’s heal together.”

Clark recognized the work of Local 113’s United Indigenous Council and thanked them for their incredible commitment and unwavering dedication in lighting the way in our community and in our place of work towards learning and healing.

Clark acknowledged, “By wearing orange today, we stand in solidarity with Indigenous peoples. This is an important day of remembrance and reflection.”

ATU Local 113’s President Marvin Alfred is calling on Metrolinx leadership to be more transparent with Torontonians regarding the long-delayed Eglinton Crosstown LRT.

“Toronto transit riders deserve better,” said Alfred. “Metrolinx has repeatedly failed to deliver this project on time. Now they won’t even tell us when the Eglinton Crosstown will open, or the reason for the continuous delay.”

Public transit agencies like the TTC have always built and operated large scale transit projects. Every year, the TTC continues to service and maintain countless kilometers of streetcar tracks. Instead of relying on expertise and experience, the Eglinton Crosstown LRT project was built by novices.

Premier Ford has acknowledged that the privatized Ottawa Light Rail is a ‘real disaster’. The Eglinton Crosstown LRT is just the same situation. The common factor is the privatization of these projects. Transit should be kept public. Metrolinx wants to conceal their privatized failures. It is time for Metrolinx and its leadership to come clean.

ATU Local 113’s President, Marvin Alfred, spoke to media last week to express his and the union’s thoughts on the announcement of adding more customer service representatives at subway stations across the city.

Alfred applauds the decision by Mayor Chow and TTC Board Chair, Councillor Jamaal Myers.

ATU 113 president on TTC board’s proposals | CP24.com

TTC plans on hiring additional frontline staff to deal with safety issues | CityNews Toronto

ATU Local 113 applauds Mayor Chow’s decision to increase jobs for our union.

This morning, Mayor Chow and TTC’s Chair Councillor Jamaal Myers announced an increase in jobs at the TTC. ATU Local 113 is pleased to see the addition of customer service agents (CSA) at subway stations. 

Having a stronger employee presence ensures a higher quality of service and deters issues related to violence and safety breaches.  

We would have also liked to see the TTC provide additional support for workers out on the routes that bring customers to the subway system, such as our buses and streetcars. The return of street support is needed more now than ever, especially with the recent events in violence. 

We are encouraged by this announcement and will work with the Mayor and the TTC to continue on this path of progress. 

Grand prize winner of the ATU 113 MS Golf Tournament, Shop Steward Syd Palmer, enjoying the Blue Jays game with friends and family over the weekend.

ATU Local 113 strongly condemns the behaviour of a passenger who verbally assaulted a transit worker onboard a TTC bus on Wednesday, September 9th. The passenger launched a harmful, racist and misogynistic verbal tirade against the transit worker who was simply doing her job. Transit workers are entitled to the same level of safety and security as all workers.

ATU Local 113 President Marvin Alfred spoke with the media about the importance of safe working conditions for transit workers and why this behaviour should never be tolerated.

News Coverage

Online/Print:

Toronto Star: Man charged after hate-filled tirade at TTC bus driver (thestar.com) 

Toronto Sun: A racial tirade against a black female TTC driver has man on charges | Toronto Sun

CBC: Man arrested after video shows TTC driver being yelled and sworn at | CBC News

CityNews: Verbal abuse of TTC bus driver shown in profanity-laced video (citynews.ca)

Broadcast:

Global News: Man charged in mischief investigation involving Toronto bus driver: police – Toronto | Globalnews.ca

CTV: TTC bus operator was the victim of a ‘verbally abusive’ attack, union says | CTV News

CP24: TTC bus operator was the victim of a ‘verbally abusive’ attack, union says | CTV News

I have become aware of footage documenting racist, misogynistic abuse directed at a member of ATU Local 113. Our member was just doing her job when she was verbally assaulted and threatened by a member of the public. This is profoundly unacceptable. Our members are on the frontlines and they are entitled to the same standard of safety and security as all workers.

In light of this and other recent events, Amalgamated Transit Union, Local 113 demands that the TTC and Toronto Police Service do everything in their power and jurisdiction to ensure that criminal, racist, and misogynistic behaviour towards transit workers be met with real and substantial consequences.

Specifically, we demand that the assailant be charged criminally and permanently banned from access to the TTC. All Torontonians should feel safe and welcome on the TTC. Actions such as those depicted in the footage should forfeit an individual’s right to access to public transit. No worker, whether serving public transit or otherwise, should have to deal with this type of abuse in their place of work.

We are heartened by the response to date from Mayor Olivia Chow and Councillor Jamaal Myers. They have indicated their support for our member. Their support and that of co-workers and peers who have reached out to the member is much appreciated.

We are however, deeply troubled by the lack of support shown by TTC management to our member. No resources were made available to her at the scene of the incident, and she was forced to drive her own bus to a station to engage supervisory staff. This indifference and lack of support of its employees is a sad symptom of a culture at TTC that has long needed a change.

Our member has indicated to us that this was a troubling and an unfortunate incident for her. She feels that no one should be subjected to this criminal and offensive behaviour. She has requested respect of her privacy as she tries to move forward with her work as an Operator.

Thank you to political leaders who show up to demonstrate their support for labour workers in Toronto!

Photographed are Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles and NDP MPPs Peter Tabuns and Bhutila Karpoche.