Vancouver: The former business manager of the B.C. Council of Film Unions is planning to sue the Council for breach of employment contract after allegations he was ‘constructively’ dismissed.

Tim Hiltz – who had renewed his second three-year contract with the Council in December – alleges that members of the executive boards of IATSE Locals 891 and 669 and Teamsters Local 155 who convene to run the Council began in April to curb his ability to do his job as a producer liaison, Council coordinator and negotiator of the Council’s master collective agreement.

As specific examples, Hiltz alleges he was told not to attend Premier Glen Clark’s Friends of b.c. event in Los Angles in May or a recent film industry meeting with the B.C. Federation of Labor and that he had his spending authority taken away.

In removing the job functions, says Hiltz’s lawyer Victor Leginsky, the Council board ‘constructively dismissed’ Hiltz, who left the Council July 24.

The legal action, however, follows what Hiltz’s lawyer calls years of discrimination based on sexual orientation, a situation that culminated in a complaint filed July 6 with the B.C. Human Rights Commission by Hiltz against the Council and Teamsters representative Jack Vlahovic, in particular.

Leginsky says Hiltz, who is gay, began recording incidences of alleged discrimination at Council meetings, where Hiltz was chair. According to Leginksy, some meeting participants undermined Hiltz with, for example, inappropriate and derogatory comments about gay sexual acts.

When contacted for comment, Vlahovic denied knowing anything about the complaint. ‘I haven’t heard about any complaint,’ he says, adding that he has attended Council meetings as a representative of Teamsters 155.

However, through his lawyer David Reynolds, Vlahovic filed a response with the Human Rights Commission on Aug. 31 in which he denies allegations of discrimination and states that coarse language and jokes are normal in a blue-collar working environment.

Vlahovic also says in the response that he spoke to Hiltz about unsatisfactory job performance. (Reynolds was not available to comment on Vlahovic’s response.)

Leginsky says that until April, Hiltz believed the off-color remarks and behavior to be a ‘workable’ and ‘salvageable’ situation.

Leginsky says that prior to the filing of the complaint to the Human Rights Commission, Hiltz tried to bring the issue to the attention of the Council members to move the problem along. Leginsky says requests for mediation were refused by the Council and, he alleges, when Hiltz stepped up the pressure in April to get the Council to address the discrimination issue, the constructive dismissal began.

Interim chair of the Council, Tom Adair, who is also business representative of Local 891, says he remembers talking to Hiltz about ‘conspiracy theories.’

Says Adair: ‘Tim has his view of the circumstances that have led him to resign. The Council has a different opinion. The Council, itself, does not agree with the basis of Tim’s claims. We are still trying to resolve the outstanding issues.’

Adair says the Council meets weekly to discuss business and that Deb Sims is the acting coordinator. The Council represents 4,000 unionized film workers and a $200-million annual payroll.