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!

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.

Canadian Health Workers Win Big Victory over SEIU!

Breaking news: Today, approximately 300 workers at William Osler Hospital in Ontario, Canada voted by a two-to-one margin to decertify SEIU and join a new union!

For these workers, it’s been a two-year battle to liberate themselves from SEIU. Back in 2009, they formed a new union and requested government-run elections so they could leave SEIU. SEIU officials – using the same playbook of dirty tactics they’re using in California – sued the new union’s leaders and filed bogus charges at the labor board to stall workers’ elections.

Well… after two years of struggle, the first group of workers finally got their chance to vote. And they delivered a serious thumping to SEIU… despite all the union staffers that SEIU parachuted into the hospital and the dirty smear campaign that SEIU unleashed on workers.

Tasty hears that Sharleen Stewart (the president of SEIU Local 1-Ontario and a member of SEIU's International Executive Board) came to today’s vote count but scurried out of the room when it became crystal clear that SEIU was losing bigtime.

For those who don’t know her, Sharleen Stewart is the Marge Faville of Canada. In 2004, SEIU merged six SEIU locals in Ontario into one. Andy Stern then handpicked Sharleen to run the mega-local. Like Marge, she reportedly pulls down a giant salary and runs the union with a mix of nepotism, incompetence and deliberate neglect of the members.

One report describes how Sharleen handed out jobs at the SEIU local to her brother, daughter, son and long-time friend… and even placed some of her family in luxury condominiums on Toronto’s waterfront, with the rent paid by the union's members.

Time for Sharleen to take a hike, eh?

Congrats to the workers at William Osler Hospital! And good luck to hundreds more Canadian healthcare workers who’ll be voting in elections in the weeks ahead!