As soon as the City of Ottawa announced that Rick Leary would be the new head of OC Transpo, Noah Vineberg heard about it.
“To say that my phone blew up the day that he was hired would be a vast understatement,” said Vineberg, president of Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) 279.
Vineberg represents OC Transpo operators and mechanics. The ensuing messages and phone calls, which Vineberg described to CBC, came from members of ATU 113, the local for those same jobs at the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC).
“He’s going to make your job hard,” one said.
“Doesn’t respect collective agreements,” said another.
“Good luck,” a third said.
In interviews with CBC, current and former Toronto union leaders explained the history behind those warnings. They said they haven’t forgotten the atmosphere of strained labour relations, frequent grievances and low morale during Leary’s seven-year tenure at the helm of the TTC.
Marvin Alfred, who became president of ATU 113 in 2022 and still heads the local, said the relationship with Leary could be cordial and collaborative at times.
But at others, it was “unnecessarily adversarial.”
That was especially true during collective bargaining, he said, as his members almost went on strike.
“At those times of a heightened situation, I do admit that the relationship [was] extremely strained. There’s no substitute for that word,” he said.
But it wasn’t just bargaining. Alfred also mentioned “a general malaise” stemming from issues around scheduling, working conditions and the state of repair of the transit system.
“Culture and morale did take a hit” during Leary’s tenure, he said.
Marvin Alfred, president of Toronto transit union ATU Local 113, said morale took a hit at the TTC under Leary’s leadership. (Martin Trainor/CBC)
Alfred said his members felt alienated, disheartened and ignored under Leary’s leadership. He said they didn’t feel management was listening when they flagged issues, including on maintenance and safety.
He said disputes were tough to resolve and instead “went to grievances all the time.” He said his union faced a steep rise in legal costs from the constant fights against management.
It was “interesting,” Alfred said, that OC Transpo would hire Leary for the top job.
Leary promises to work closely with unions
CBC put those concerns to Leary, who responded with a statement promising to foster “a strong, collaborative environment grounded in respect, transparency, and accountability” at OC Transpo.
“I am committed to working closely with labour representatives through an open and ongoing dialogue,” he said.
He said it’s important that employees feel heard and supported. He said frontline staff “bring critical insight into the day-to-day realities of the system.”
“I am focused on creating consistent opportunities for them to raise concerns, share ideas, and help shape improvements,” Leary said. “Strengthening internal communication, reinforcing a culture of safety, and supporting our workforce are key priorities.”
But Leary didn’t directly address Alfred’s account of the relationship. And the ATU 113 chief isn’t alone in his concerns.
Leary is seen here speaking at a press conference alongside Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow and Toronto Transit Commission chair Coun. Jamaal Myers. Leary headed up the TTC from 2017 until 2024. (Alex Lupul/CBC)’There were no clear expectations’
Dariusz Nowotny previously served as interim president CUPE 5089, which represents TTC special constables and fare inspectors. He was in union positions from 2018 to 2024, and he too noted a spike in the number of grievances during Leary’s tenure.
Nowotny said it was typical to see four or five grievances per year under the CEO that preceded Leary. That “increased dramatically” after Leary took over, he said, reaching 29 in 2021 and 28 in 2022 for a union local of roughly 200 members.
Some of the grievances related to COVID-19 and vaccinations, though Nowotny said many didn’t and the upward trend began before the pandemic.
He said morale under Leary’s leadership was “very bad” and the turnover rate was “extremely high.”
“They were afraid to do the work, because they didn’t know what was expected of them,” he said. “There were no clear expectations about what they were allowed to enforce.”
Prior to his tenure at the TTC, Leary worked in senior roles at York Region Transit and at the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority in the Boston area, pictured here. (Felix Desroches/CBC)
Nowotny said there was a change in approach that frustrated his members, as management shifted from an enforcement to a “customer service” mentality.
In his view, management limited the ability of special constables to make arrests.
He called the move to hire Leary as the head of OC Transpo “a poor decision.”
“Maybe the city manager should have done a little bit more homework,” he said.
Ottawa union head keeping an open mind
Nowotny said one issue above all others ruined the relationship: the firing of two TTC special constables following an investigation by Rubin Thomlinson LLP that said they used “unnecessary force” to subdue a man on the 501 Queen streetcar in 2020.
The union defended the special constables, saying they were cleared of any wrongdoing by Toronto police.
Nowotny said the resulting fight essentially bankrupted the union local.
Despite that history, Vineberg said he believes in “second chances” and says he’s trying to come into the relationship with an open mind.
Vineberg said he’s met with Leary and felt the new general manager was listening to his concerns. He called it a “good, frank discussion” about everything from employee burnout to fleet maintenance.
“I was quite pleased with our interaction and our conversation,” he said. “It felt very relaxed, but down-to-earth and real, and I personally want to build off of that.”
He said it’s natural to see “some adversarialism” between labour and management.
“We won’t always meet eye to eye,” Vineberg said. “I just hope that we always keep the lines of communication open and collaborative and in that respect he’s done so thus far.”
Leary said he’s meeting with all the unions at OC Transpo to hear from them and build that relationship.
“My approach is centred on listening, engaging directly with employees and unions, and taking action to foster a positive work environment and improve the service we provide to our customers,” he said in his statement to CBC.