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Star: Rick Ducharme Resigns from TTC

TTC shakeup puts heat on Moscoe
Jun. 7, 2006. 12:05 PM
KEVIN MCGRAN
TRANSPORTATION REPORTER


The heat was on TTC chairman Howard Moscoe today after it was revealed he was the reason Rick Ducharme quit as chief general manager of the transit system.
A private letter from Ducharme to the TTC’s nine commissioners singles out Moscoe for political interference.

“Dave Gunn left because of Mr. Moscoe,†wrote Ducharme in the letter published by the Scarborough Mirror, a community newspaper owned by Torstar. “(Former chief general manager) Al Leach also had issues with Mr. Moscoe. I am the third victim.â€

Moscoe could not be reached for comment.

TTC commissioners were to meet this afternoon to discuss Ducharme’s resignation. Ducharme has asked to stay on at his $265,000 job until Nov. 30.

It’s not likely however he’ll stay around to deal with the labour strife that led to his downfall. A wildcat strike last week shut down the system, stranding commuters and creating traffic chaos.

Bob Kinnear, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113, said Ducharme’s resignation marked a new beginning in management-labour relations.

In a letter to staff published by thestar.com yesterday, Ducharme said the “main reason behind my decision is due to political interference. I take the responsibility of moving this organization forward and this involves relationships with all levels of government. I’ve always been a straight-shooter, however, when some Commission members choose to undermine my role and responsibilities then, the game is over!â€

In his private letter to commissioners, Ducharme raised questions about Moscoe’s involvement in labour talks, but also other matters — including the TTC’s controversial decision to name Bombardier sole source of the next generation of subway cars without going through the tender process.

“Those Commissioners who were here during the subway car fiasco in which Mr. Moscoe had his own discussions with Bombardier (the supplier of cars) and with Mr. Kinnear (Bob Kinnear, head of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113) will understand my frustration. Initially as Chief General Manager I had taken full responsibility for the illegal walkout. However, as I watched the media comments last week I realized that things had happened which I wasn’t fully aware of."

Ducharme asked: "What was really said and suggested during the lunch between Mr. Moscoe and Bob Kinnear on Tuesday May 16?" And he asked: "What did Mr. Moscoe discuss with Bob Kinnear while in Saskatoon the Saturday and Sunday just before the illegal strike?"

He added: "On Sunday afternoon, June 4 2006, Mr. Moscoe called me to inform me he had spoken to Mr. Frank Grimaldi ATU 113 Executive Board member and suggested it was inappropriate we redo the master signup. When I resisted he said you’re not thinking straight, and that was the end of our conversation. Enough is enough. I apologize but I cannot continue with this type of meddling. If the commission supports Mr. Moscoe continuing as a Chief General Manager, then send me home with the appropriate compensation as stipulated in my contract. As Chief General Manager I will do everything in my power to protect my integrity."
 
Sounds like Ducharme has read a chapter or two from the Kinnear tactics handbook. Any chance he'd stay on in the event his resignation was successful in muscling Moscoe out as chair?

I'd love to see Howard Moscoe knocked down a few pegs - looks like the Star is onboard with the plan...

If the allegations about Moscoe and Kinnear turn into something more - that is, if Moscoe had anything to do with orchestrating the walkout - he's done.
 
Who does'nt think ridership growth is going to take a hit with all this bad news coming out of the TTC. I was speaking with my neighbour yesterday who mentioned his company has set up a car pooling service. He said at least a dozen of his colleagues have opted to car pool instead of the TTC. Though car pooling is not necessarily a bad thing, the drop in revenues and ridership growth will hurt the TTC in the short term. But what about long term damage? It's alot harder o get those people out of cars and back to using public transit on a daily basis.
 
I expect to see Howard gone as both Chair, a Commissioner and possible as a Councilor over this.

He needs to move on.

In fact, Howard lay the ground works months ago for him to step down as Chair of TTC Commissioners.

I question Howard conduct behind the scene as to the labour issues, the subway trains and the LRT's.

All I can say hold on to some thing as things are going to rough until the November election.

Rick Ducharme who was fired today by TTC Commissioners, will recived a nice pay check at the end of the day thanks to Howard.

Ridership should not take a hit so long there is no more work stoppage.
 
Moscoe needs to go now - for undermining the TTC management (which I have had problems with as well), for trying to have it both ways with the union, and for driving out people like David Gunn, who was the best GM the TTC has had in years. The one thing Miller can do is force Moscoe to step aside - I don't buy into the Royson James school of "thought" that everything is Miller's fault - but this is one thing he can do to get things right. What decent candidate for GM would want to work under these conditions?

And let the TTC play hardball with Kinnear. I really want to know what happened between those two asshats in Saskatoon and before.
 
More style than substance. What has he done to deserve such praise?... bike racks on some buses and a wildcat strike as a TTC commissioner. He must be a real smooth talker to fool a smart guy like you FM.

Actually, Giambrone has been getting some praise from the cranky old dean of Toronto columnists. The only issue is that he has a bit of a tendency to meddle as well, but is at least more diplomatic and level headed than Moscoe. Or is your dislike for him because he's NDP?

A political star emerges from TTC strike

JOHN BARBER

Much was made last week of the fact that TTC chair Howard Moscoe jetted back from Saskatchewan, breaking off an important series of brunches to deal with Monday's wildcat transit strike. But as it turns out, he could easily have stayed away -- indeed he should have, according to one line of thinking among the milleristas. That's because boy wonder Councillor Adam Giambrone, TTC vice-chair, was doing such a terrific job defending management in the giant spin war that had just erupted.

"I was really impressed," one insider said, relieved that the cantankerous and provocative transit chair was unavailable when every camera and microphone in Toronto zoomed in for the city's side of the story. "Adam was calm and well prepared. He knew the facts; he knew the details. He kept it down rather than ramped it up."

His brothers and sisters in the NDP, the party Mr. Giambrone has served as national president for the past five years, might not think so highly of their man's successful debut as a management mouthpiece in a bitter struggle with a militant union. But for the rest of us, it's the first sign that this rookie really is the star that many have heralded.

That much wasn't obvious in the first half of Mr. Giambrone's term, when it seemed that the job of rebuilding the NDP in the image of former councillor Jack Layton took precedence over his civic duties. Since then, however, he has shown his stuff.

"My priority is the city," he says, confronting the issue directly, going on to suggest that he might not seek a third term as party president at the NDP's convention this fall.

"Five years is a long time. I think a lot has been accomplished, but I don't know what will happen."

Like another NDP rookie who clearly had bigger prizes in mind while he bided his time on council in the 1990s -- Mayor David Miller -- Mr. Giambrone seems to have caught the bug.

Saying that he works 90 hours a week to accomplish both jobs, Mr. Giambrone is emerging as one of the most active politicians on council. In addition to his work on the TTC, he is vice-chair of the important works committee, where he is helping to lead the city's efforts in waste diversion, as well as chair of two obscure but important ad hoc committees where the workload far exceeds the glory.

One is a committee assigned to rewrite the procedural rules that govern council, with the aim of restoring some dignity to the joint, and the other is a committee struck to implement key recommendations of the Bellamy inquiry, including the creation of a proper, binding lobbyist registry at city hall.

"I think I'm up to having read 47 other procedural bylaws from across North America," the 29-year-old archeologist boasts. "I've got a whole stack at home taped together and everything." It's not the most exciting work, he acknowledges. "But it can make a profound difference in the way that council works."

Since last Monday, Mr. Giambrone has taken up the task of improving TTC labour relations, working over the weekend with management to avert another potential walkout yesterday. As a former shop steward in a public-sector union at the Royal Ontario Museum, where he worked as an archeologist before running for council, he skillfully walks the line between crushing the workers and caving in.

"We don't condone a strike. It was illegal; it inconvenienced 700,000 people," he says. "But you're not going to win a labour-relations battle by ordering people back to work." What's needed, he says "is to actually get down there and figure it out, and to really push for weeks and weeks if that is what it takes."

Today, Mr. Giambrone will play host to a reception celebrating the 25th anniversary of the city's French committee, reflecting his capacity as unofficial tribune of Toronto's 300,000 French speakers. Some time this summer, the politician, who is fluent in French and Arabic, will revisit northern Sudan for a quick hit of digging.

And then?

"I've now been out of school for four and a bit years," he says. "I have 36 years to go before I qualify for Canada Pension. I have no idea."

Council will be lucky to keep him.

jbarber@globeandmail.com
 
Looks like Ducharme's tactics are working - the calls for Moscoe's resignation are starting to come in. Howard looked a little sheepish in the scrum yesterday after the TTC meeting.

It'll be interesting to see who lines up with who. Pity-field has already predictably set up shop on the anti-Moscoe, anti-Miller side, but some other councillors are joining the fray, calling for Moscoe to step aside.

Things are starting to heat up, and the election is still months away.
 
Article

Moscoe's interference caused resignation, Ducharme says
Last updated Jun 8 2006 08:33 AM EDT
CBC News

Meddling by TTC chair Howard Moscoe forced Rick Ducharme to resign, the former general manager of the Toronto Transit Commission says.

Rick Ducharme resigned as chief general manager on Tuesday, citing 'political interference.'

Rick Ducharme resigned as chief general manager on Tuesday, citing 'political interference.'
Ducharme, seven years at the operational helm of the commission, submitted his resignation Tuesday, citing "political interference" from "some members of the commission" as the reason in an angry letter to employees.

On Wednesday, the day his resignation, effective immediately, was accepted at an emergency meeting of the TTC, Ducharme made it clear his decision was due to Moscoe's interference during labour negotiations.

Ducharme had been in a months-long battle with Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113, a fight that led to a half-day wildcat strike that shut down the system on May 29. A week later, another threatened strike was apparently averted when Moscoe bypassed Ducharme and became personally involved in negotiations.

That was when he made his decision to leave, Ducharme said.

"It was through the media I found out there were discussions I was not aware of, between the chair [Moscoe] and the union, even discussion between the mayor [David Miller]; a few days before that with Bill Reno, the consultant for the union," Ducharme said Wednesday.

"To me, that's interference. There's no way I can deal with the union if they are allowed to deal with the mayor, the chair or whatever."

Ducharme said he loved his job, but Moscoe's meddling prevented him from doing it properly.

"I love the TTC. I love the operational part of it," he said, adding dealing with politicians is not something new. "Politics is a big part of it. I've dealt with politicians for 34 years, so politics is a big part of it.

"I think I've advanced the TTC positively. When this happens though, and if you can't do your job, then something has to change, something has to break, and I'm the one."

Moscoe admitted in a Wednesday interview with CBC News Online that he did speak with Bob Kinnear — the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113 head who has been critical of Ducharme — in order to avoid a June 5 walkout.

He defended the action as necessary for keeping the trains and buses running.

"The most persistent question I've been asked by media over the past week and a half is: 'Have you talked to Mr. Kinnear, and if not, why not?,' " Moscoe said.

"Labour relations at the TTC have traditionally been done by management," he said, but "in the face of the fact that we had an illegal strike, and were about to take another illegal strike, and because I am accountable to the public, it was necessary for me to intervene to prevent that second strike from happening."

If that is what Mr. Ducharme classifies as interference, Moscoe said, "then he misunderstands his role and mine."

"It's no secret that labour relations at the TTC are at an all-time low," Moscoe added, "and I have a responsibility to the public to make sure those buses roll out on a Monday morning."

The councillor would not comment on whether he thought Ducharme was responsible for the situation, but he was clear on what he would be looking for in a new chief general manager.

"I want a chief GM who has the competency to run the system well, and Mr. Ducharme has had that competency, and I want a chief GM who cares about customer service and public relations."
 
Article

Interfering with TTC management is a slippery slope, says former GM
Last updated Jun 6 2006 02:56 PM EDT
CBC News

The man who preceded Rick Ducharme as chief general manager of the Toronto Transit Commission said Wednesday that allowing politicians to get involved in dealings with transit unions is a slippery slope that can only lead to economic trouble.

David Gunn was commenting on the sudden resignation of Ducharme, who in a letter to employees Tuesday cited "political interference" by "some members of the commission" as the main reason for his exit.

Ducharme had been in a months-long battle with the transit union, a fight that led to a half-day wildcat strike on May 29 that shut down the system.

A week later, another threatened strike was averted when TTC chairman Howard Moscoe became personally involved in negotiations, bypassing Ducharme.

Gunn says that's where the line was crossed.

"This has happened at other transit systems and it is extremely dangerous when the commission and the politicians deal directly with the union," Gunn said on CBC Radio's Metro Morning. "The commission should issue orders to Rick Ducharme and leave it to him to carry it out."

If that doesn't happen, the union will realize it can bypass TTC management whenever it doesn't like what it hears, and go and get a better deal from city hall. And that can lead to some expensive contracts, Dunn said.

'They have blinked'

In effect, going around Ducharme showed the union that the city was ready to cave in, he said, adding that not showing toughness in dealing with a union willing to break the law with wildcat strikes is a major mistake.

"Every time something comes up where somebody is disgruntled, they will threaten an illegal strike," said Gunn, who prior to taking over the TTC in the 1990s ran the New York transit system and Amtrak. "Once you blink in these situations you are down a very slippery slope. And they have blinked, I guess."

Gunn said Mayor David Miller's initial response to the situation was the correct one.

"When he first spoke on the issue he was right that the quid pro quo for the good agreements that the TTC work force has is that they abide by the rules. And the rules say you have a grievance procedure and you don't inconvenience a million riders without any warning. It's outrageous and you should pay for it."

Moscoe spoke with union boss

Moscoe admitted Wednesday in an interview with CBC News Online that he spoke directly with Bob Kinnear, the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113 head who has been critical of Ducharme, in order to avoid a June 5 walkout.

But he was quick to defend himself for doing so.

"The most persistent question I've been asked by media over the past week and a half is 'Have you talked to Mr. Kinnear, and if not, why not?'," Moscoe said.

"Labour relations at the TTC have traditionally been done by management," he admitted, but "in the face of the fact that we had an illegal strike, and were about to take another illegal strike, and because I am accountable to the public, it was necessary for me to intervene to prevent that second strike from happening."

Moscoe said if that was what Mr. Ducharme classifies as interference "then he misunderstands his role and mine."

He added "it's no secret that labour relations at the TTC are at an all-time low, and I have a responsibility to the public to make sure those buses roll out on a Monday morning."

The councillor would not comment on whether he thought Ducharme was responsible for the bad relations.

On the union's part, Kinnear wasn't upset by Ducharme's sudden exit.

"I doubt very much the commissioners will allow our concerns to go unresponded to for the length of time they have over the past couple of months," said Kinnear, who led the wildcat walkout ostensibly to protest the movement of two-dozen cleaners from the day to the night shift.

Search for a new chief

Moscoe said the city has had "a string of general manager's who are excellent transit managers, but less adept at managing human relations."

As such, when looking for a new transit boss, he said "I want a chief GM who has the competency to run the system well, and Mr. Ducharme has had that competency, and I want a chief GM who cares about customer service and public relations."
 
Moscoe said the city has had "a string of general manager's who are excellent transit managers, but less adept at managing human relations."

This from Moscoe?!?! Kettle, meet black.

The comments from David Gunn were especially interesting. Thanks for the articles.
 
Just watched Ctv news, Alicia Kay said that Moscoe is thinking of stepping down due to pleas from his wife, Gloria...:lol
 
Gawd, his wife should have said something years ago.

"Howard, quit the TTC now or don't come home tonight". :rollin

AoD
 
What's with Royson's hate-on for Miller?
Royson like so many other Torontonians had high hopes for Miller, maybe a little too high. But after 3 years as Mayor how can you not have a hate-on for Miller. It's all unraveling at City Hall and poor leadership at the Mayors chair is to blame. I can't explain why Miller and Giambrone are so quick to protect Moscoe. Maybe old NDP ties die hard.
So much for making good quality transit a priority in this city. As far as I'm concerned, this just gives Torontonians one more reason to Take The Car.
 

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