Dear members,
On September 11, 2023 the Board of Directors received lengthy correspondence from a former employee of the TMSU.
On September 14, 2023 the Board met in camera and was briefed by management and legal counsel. Unfortunately, much of the information in the correspondence is incorrect.
The former employee was in fact a former member of the Board of Directors of the TMSU. They had been impeached by their peers for breaching their fiduciary duty as a director. Such impeachment was never appealed or challenged.
Last year, the President of the TMSU chose to offer this person temporary employment to provide them with “another chance”, given their keen interest in the TMSU. They accepted a fixed-term contract of employment on the express understanding that such employment would be temporary. Their role was not unionized. Their role exercised managerial functions. Their role was not permanent. The employee’s assertions about the collective agreement’s application are mistaken. The employee was never advised that their role would be made permanent or unionized.
When the employee was advised that their role would not continue beyond August 31, 2023, they were permitted to work the rest of the contract term. Unfortunately, during this period, the employee engaged in unacceptable behaviour towards management, apparently in protest of the decision not to renew their contract. The employee was then dismissed prior to August 31, 2023 for this conduct.
The harassment allegations raised in the correspondence were investigated and were found to be unsubstantiated. The statement that no witnesses were interviewed is simply false.
No financial policy was violated. It was explained to the employee that payment would be made to certain Pride performers within two (2) weeks of the performance. Typically, the TMSU does not compensate vendors until the good or service is rendered.
This dismissed former employee and impeached former director has no ongoing relationship with the TMSU at this time.
Contrary to the former employee’s claims that they do not wish to “get their job back”, they are trying to use the grievance process under the collective agreement to force the TMSU to employ them as a union employee. This process will be vigorously defended by the TMSU.