Alisha Kang sought $20 million from PSAC over allegations the union had discriminated against her
You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.
The Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario has dismissed a complaint by a former labour leader against a large public service union which ousted her last fall.
Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.
Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.
Alisha Kang, the former president of the Union of National Employees (UNE), filed the complaint against the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), a larger umbrella union of which the UNE is a component. She claimed PSAC discriminated against her based on several grounds, including race, ancestry and gender identity.
In the decision dismissing her complaint, adjudicator Jennifer Harnum found that Kang had abandoned her application, as she failed to reply to subsequent filings.
“Considering the seriousness of the allegations raised in the Response, the lack of response from the applicant or their counsel in addressing or even acknowledging the concerns, the failure to request an extension of time to file a Reply or change counsel, Tribunal is satisfied that the applicant does not intend to pursue the Application,” Harnum wrote in the decision.
Kang was effectively removed from office last October when PSAC placed the UNE under trusteeship, a mechanism that allowed the larger union to take control of the smaller one. Complaints about Kang’s leadership were among the reasons cited by PSAC for the move, according to a letter obtained by the Ottawa Citizen.
The letter also listed membership complaints over “a lack of support, response and representation by UNE,” as well as “significant staff turnover.”
PSAC was also concerned that UNE locals were considering leaving the union due to a lack of support and representation and that there were concerns about “financial practices and reporting.”
In the now-dismissed complaint, which was obtained by the Ottawa Citizen, Kang sought $20 million in compensation due to “the impact to my activist career and the false report they release to media publically lybching me (sic).”
Kang also hoped to change “rules within the union and removal of authority to selfinvestigate (sic).”
In response to Kang’s complaint, PSAC sought the removal of Kang’s lawyer, David Shiller, arguing he would have a “clear conflict of interest,” having represented the UNE on a 2024 matter, according to tribunal documents.
PSAC also argued in its response that “some of the allegations in the Application are so vague that the Respondents cannot meaningfully respond to them.” The union added that no “further particulars were provided about any of these allegations.”
