The deposed president of the TTC’s largest union is accusing the association’s American-based parent organization of coercing union officials into denouncing him.

Bob Kinnear, longtime president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113, was relieved of his duties on Friday when ATU International abruptly placed the union under trusteeship.

The Maryland-based parent association alleged that Kinnear had attempted to disaffiliate from the local from ATU International without the consent of the local’s members or executive board.

Representatives of ATU International, which represents close to 200,000 transit workers in the U.S. and Canada, removed all 17 union executives from their positions on Friday, but swiftly reinstated 10 of them. Each reinstated member signed a document denouncing Kinnnear’s actions. Similar letters have since been signed by other officials at the local.

In a news release issued Sunday evening, Kinnear accused ATU International of “intimidating elected local union representatives into signing prepared letters that agree with the American union’s trusteeship of the local.”

The release claimed that local union members had feared for their jobs if they didn’t sign.

In an interview Monday morning, the international vice-president of ATU International who is leading the trusteeship called the allegations of coercion “completely absurd.”

“There was never any threats, no intimidation whatsoever. Everybody signed freely and willingly,” said Manny Sforza.

He said the letters were “a message of solidarity and support” for ATU International stepping in to remove Kinnear, “and the support is overwhelming.”

A news release from ATU International said 72 per cent of the ATU Local 113’s shop stewards had signed the letters opposing Kinnear’s actions.

“It’s not just a majority, it’s a super majority,” Sforza said.

Kinnear is fighting the takeover of the union in court. A hearing on the matter is expected in about two weeks.

ATU Local 113 represents more than 10,000 transit workers in Toronto. Kinnear was first elected its president in 2003.

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