Canadian Healthcare Workers Win Pair of Victories

Last week, workers in Toronto won two more victories against SEIU.

First, on December 20^th, a panel of three Canadian judges knocked down SEIU’s latest legal assault against the “Ontario Workers’ Union” (OWU), a new union that’s won at least five elections against SEIU since July. 

In SEIU’s latest legal attack, fancy purple lawyers have been trying to stop the new union from participating in elections by claiming that OWU’s constitution is somehow “flawed” and that the union was “formed illegally.” 

After SEIU lost this argument in front of the labor board, SEIU then appealed the decision to a higher court. On December 20, a panel of judges heard SEIU’s appeal. Normally, it takes 4 to 6 weeks for the judges to reach their decision. In this case, the judges reportedly needed only 40 minutes to rule against SEIU. And, to top it off, the judges ordered SEIU to pay thousands of dollars of attorney fees to OWU as a penalty for dragging the new union through the bogus legal challenge.

On the very next day, SEIU suffered its second defeat. That’s when approximately 200 lab workers at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto voted to join OWU in a government-run election. The lab workers, who’ve never had a union before, recently decided to unionize… so they decided to approach their co-workers (who’re in SEIU) about joining SEIU. According to one source, the SEIU members told them “what a crappy union SEIU is,” and steered them to the Ontario Workers’ Union. 

As the date for last week’s union election approached, SEIU reportedly launched its usual smear campaign and then dispatched large numbers of SEIU organizers to tell workers to vote “no union.” Fortunately, workers persevered, and handed SEIU its second loss in a week.

According to one source in Ontario: “There's a definite stench of fear coming from the purple palace as OWU grows stronger and SEIU members realize they can liberate themselves from their purple chains...”

Way to go, Canadian healthcare workers!

Canadians Win Another One!

Tasty hears that, earlier this week, more Canadian healthcare workers voted to leave SEIU and join the Ontario Workers Union (OWU). 

Apparently, a unit of approximately 160 nursing home workers at Woods Park Nursing Centre in Barrie, Ontario voted to leave SEIU and join OWU by a vote of 55 to 54. Readers report that SEIU threw everything but the kitchen sink at the nursing home workers… SEIU had organizers crawling all over the workplace, stalking members in their homes, and blowing up their telephones with purple robo-calls. 

Way to go, Canadian healthcare workers!

Four in a Row for Canadian Healthcare Workers!

On Wednesday, 350 more workers at Humber River Regional Hospital in Ontario, Canada voted by a two-to-one margin to leave SEIU and join the Ontario Workers’ Union! Tasty hears that SEIU bombarded workers with lies during the run-up to the vote. On Wednesday morning, SEIU’s organizers showed up at the hospital at 6:30am to leaflet workers, and apparently were surprised to see 25 staffers from the Laborers Union leafleting in support of the Ontario Workers Union. (Tasty hears the Laborers are not too keen about SEIU these days.) Congratulations to our sisters and brothers in Canada!

Canadian Health Workers Win a Third Election!

This just in from Ontario, Canada…

Today, a unit of 276 clerical workers at William Osler Hospital voted by a margin of 60% to 40% to leave SEIU and join the Ontario Workers Union!

That’s three in a row... and it comes despite SEIU parachuting more and more SEIU International staff across the border. Congratulations to Ontario's healthcare workers!

Canadian Healthcare Workers Win Another Election!!

Today, a unit of 300 workers at a SECOND hospital in Ontario, Canada voted to leave SEIU and join the Ontario Workers’ Union! The victory – by a vote of 132 to 75 – took place at Humber River Regional Hospital, which is one of Canada’s largest regional hospitals and is affiliated with the University of Toronto.

Tasty hears that Sharleen Stewart (president of SEIU Local 1-ON) didn’t show her face at the vote count. Instead, she sent Tim Cadeau (“Executive Assistant to President Stewart” and the local's former Organizing Director), who pulled a “Jerry Springer” move that’s eerily reminiscent of Ragin’ Dave Regan’s alcohol-fueled antics.

Here’s what happened. When government officials announced the final vote count, Cadeau threw a table across the room in frustration and then had to be restrained by one of the hospital’s HR officials. Cadeau was then escorted off the property by hospital security guards as three agents from the Canadian labor board looked on. Way to go, Timmy! (that’s him pictured above… apparently on a happier day).

Workers’ victory in today’s election follows last week’s triumph at William Osler Hospital, where workers voted by a two-to-one margin to join OWU.

Congratulations to our Canadian sisters and brothers! Keep up the great work!

PS. Hey Timmy, unless you get some serious counseling, Tasty sees this in your future.