TTC unions call for CEO Rick Leary to step down after near subway collision
After reports of the TTC covering up a near miss subway incident, TTC unions ATU Local 113 and CUPE 5089 are calling for the resignation of CEO Rick Leary.
Reports surfaced earlier this week of the incident in which a transit operator narrowly prevented the collision of two subway trains near Osgoode station on June 12, 2020.
We stand side by side with our partners @ATUlocal113 in calling for CEO Rick Leary to step down. The City of Toronto deserves a CEO that will lead with integrity and professionalism. pic.twitter.com/Uvtylfa0ig
— CUPE 5089 (@CUPE5089) September 17, 2021
Thanks to some quick action by two TTC employees, the two trains just narrowly missed a collision with one of them moving at high speeds, a collision that surely would have been fatal and would have devastated the city as a whole.
With the city having been inches away from disaster, many have been shocked and apalled to learn that the TTC covered up the near miss incident, causing concern and worry about what else is being hidden from the public.
The unions shared a number of data points showing that incidents against both customers and employees has risen since Rick Leary took his position as CEO.
— CUPE 5089 (@CUPE5089) September 17, 2021
They claim offences against customers have more than tripled in the time since Leary took over, following a massive spike less than a year after he assumed the position.
Similarly, they say offences against employees have gone up over 50 per cent in that same time frame.
Beyond that, the call for resignation also alleges that the TTC has been hiding a further uptick in incidents against transit employees, telling one story of bricks being through the windows of TTC cruisers.
However when made aware of this incident the CEO said they would be doing an independent investigation and ultimately fired several employees for what he claimed was flawed reports.
"The CEO is hands on strong and penmanship weak. He caters to the political whim at the cost of the employees," says the statement released by CUPE 5089.
"It is time for him to go and pick up another career."
