LTC employee alleges workplace harassment and discrimination following incident with passenger

An employee with the London Transit Commission (LTC) alleges he’s been harassed and discriminated against at work, following a dangerous situation with a passenger two years ago.

“Every time I’ve submitted these grievances, alleging harassment and discrimination, the people that were responsible for investigating them were the ones I was alleging were discriminating against me,” Bill Leetjes told 980 CFPL’s the Craig Needles Show Thursday morning.

It all began with an incident in January 2016, when Leetjes was driving the last bus of the night and a passenger refused to disembark.

“I called in to notify my dispatch. I was instructed to tell the passenger that if he didn’t exit, he would be charged with trespassing.”

But Leetjes said the passenger still refused to leave the bus, even after dispatch came over the PA system and re-iterated the same message. Leetjes made requests to dispatch for support from the London Police, and then from an LTC inspector, both of which he said were denied.

“I was instructed to drive back with the passenger to the headquarters on Highbury,” he explained.

It was a little past midnight, and Leetjes said he was out in the middle of nowhere with the passenger on board. Feeling terrified for his safety, he started heading back to the bus depot.

“As I’m approaching the Dundas and Highbury area, the passenger is up now yelling at me and I ask him numerous times to step back away from me so then he proceeds to spit in my face and hold a piece of cardboard in the windshield.”

Leetjes said the passenger removed the cardboard, and minutes later he pulled the bus back into the depot where police were waiting to arrest the man and charge him with assault.

Leetjes said he filed a violence in the workplace report, sought medical attention, was asked by a manager if the spitting had been “by accident,” and was then told he “could have done more to de-escalate the situation.”

Kelly Paleczny, the LTC’s general manager, couldn’t comment on specific incidents, but told 980 CFPL she doesn’t think the commission’s harassment policies and procedures need to be re-examined.

“I believe we have very robust policies in place. We certainly see that our employees are making use of the policies and procedures. Now that’s not to say that an employee always likes the outcome of an investigation or a procedure, but that doesn’t mean that the procedure’s not effective.”

Employee accounts say there are about 40 LTC workers currently on stress leave, which equates to about 10 per cent of the membership at Local 741 of the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU).

Paleczny said her information on the number of workers on leave doesn’t match what’s being alleged.

“I can tell you that in 2017 we have 131 short-term disability claims that were filed: 48 of those were related to accident, injury, disease of the skin — and again these are the break downs that we get from our health care provider — 16 of them were related to respiratory illness, and 16 were related to mental disorders, which could include stress.”

If any of those 16 cases do involve stress, Paleczny said the stress could arise from either home life or work life.

She doesn’t agree that work life at LTC is toxic or poisonous, but admitted operators have a tough job facing disgruntled customers and being the front line face of the commission.

Leetjes, meanwhile, believes there should be a third-party investigation into his allegations and a “strong change in leadership.”

He said he was moved into a customer service job after developing stress and anxiety in his role, but when he asked human resources for a better-fitting job he was denied the second accommodation.

Leetjes also feels he’s experienced retribution for his complaints, in the form of having his pension contribution taken away.

“When so many people are stressed in the workplace, and we’re responsible for driving a bus and the safety of the passengers, the citizens of London, we’re jeopardizing our safety and the safety of everybody.”

ATU 741 President John Smith was unavailable for comment when contacted by 980 CFPL.