TTC union asks Bob Kinnear to quit hours after judge reinstates him
(The Star Food)

The battle for control of the TTC’s largest union has taken two more plot twists in less than a day.Bob Kinnear won a victory in provincial court on Tuesday afternoon, only to lose a “no confidence” motion from Local 113 of the Amalgamated Transit Union later in the evening.Kinnear’s victory came when a provincial judge reinstated him as Local 113 president three weeks after he was deposed from the top job in the TTC’s largest union.His loss came hours later, when the Local 113 executive board unanimously voted “no confidence” in him and called for his resignation in an emergency session, a statement issued by Local 113 said.In a decision issued Tuesday, Justice Michael Penny of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice granted an interlocutory injunction that allowed Kinnear to regain control over Local 113.On Feb. 3 the local’s U.S.-based parent union, Amalgamated Transit Union International, abruptly deposed Kinnear and placed Local 113 under a trusteeship. ATU International accused him of attempting to disaffiliate the local from its parent organization without the consent of Local 113 members.RELATED STORY:American-based parent union removes Bob Kinnear as head of TTC workersPenny wrote that while he couldn’t determine whether Kinnear had the support of members to disaffiliate, he should be allowed to represent his members while the future of the local is sorted out.The judge determined that allowing ATU International to maintain the trusteeship would cause irreparable harm because it “deprives the membership of their duly elected leader.”In a statement, a lawyer representing Kinnear said the court had “vindicated” his client “for fighting for his members’ democratic right to choose their leaders.”Manny Sforza, the ATU International official who had been installed as the trustee, issued a statement slamming the judge’s decision. He accused Kinn ...