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I am a 48 year old male TTC ( Toronto Transit Commission ) employee. I have been with the Commission just short of seventeen years. I have not been fired and am currently still on the job. But I am an injured employee. My injury is ongoing.
Briefly:
My employer in 1996 poisoned my work environment to the point of my suffering from cluster headache- migraines. Both my doctor and neurologist became involved with medical reports and letters of complaint regarding my treatment. I was targeted by my employer because of my union/safety activities. I became the union rep for a department of over 200 employees in August of 1996. In my capacity as union steward I automatically became a member of the department's Joint Health and Safety committee. In October I was elected by my union peers to take on the additional role of co-chairperson for the union side on the committee. Because of my skills and abilities in these roles I was singled out for "special " treatment by the TTC with a compliant union executive board turning a blind eye. At any time my union could and should have stepped in to put a stop to it. The "special" treatment directed toward me ran the gamut from using the incorrect washroom to being disciplined for attending my father's funeral. I lost over $10,000 in approximately twenty months due to firings and relievements of duty.
At the time the commission's policy with regard to absenteeism was that any employee who was away from work for more than three occasions in any floating twelve month period was susceptible to discipline. Any employee who was away from work for more than twelve days in a floating twelve month period was also susceptible to disciplinary action. These were negotiated agreements. It did not matter if you were eighteen years old or fifty-eight, if you were fit or had a medical condition. In my case I was absent from work due to migraine. When my doctor wrote on my behalf to the TTC which included a report from my neurologist advising them that my treatment by my employer was causing my migraines the abuse intensified. I was in a catch-22 situation. The Commission knew that the more discipline I received the more migraines I would have and the more time I would be off. Then more discipline. I sent letter after letter complaining of my treatment to both my union and the TTC. I asked for remedies that would help in keeping my times away from work limited. Keep in mind the discipline handed out to me was for numbers such as seven or eight times away for about ten days off total. Not huge numbers but enough for discipline to occur. I had my first cluster headache in 1979. A debilitating migraine that is called clusters because they come and go. I suffered five attacks between 1979 and 1996. An attack being more than one headache for more than two days When I began being attacked by my employer in 1996 I have deluged with several attacks a month and occurring in particular when I am asleep and awaken in the throes of pain. I have gone from using simple aspirin to control the pain through several various drugs in an attempt to hit on the one that works. I currently need to use a narcotic drug Stadol which is a morphine derivative in order to get aid my in my control of the pain.
My employer has left me be for the most part since January 2001 because union elections in December have put in place individuals who will not tolerate abuse of fellow brothers and sisters. Unfortunately the poisoned atmosphere that was my milieu for almost five years has left a medical condition still for which I must pay the price. It's just not fair.
r b pollock