Workers Must Be Heard

UNITE HERE's Efforts to Silence Workers Shut Down by Ontario Labour Relations Board

TORONTO, Nov. 5 - Yesterday, the Ontario Labour Relations Board handed Workers United/SEIU members of the Ontario Council a double-edged victory. Since March, UNITE HERE Local 75 has interfered with, harassed and misled Workers United members, going so far as to tell them that their union wasn't recognized in Canada. The Labour Board shot that down. The Labour Board -- which apparently is more willing than UNITE HERE is to recognize workers' democratic votes -- made it abundantly clear that Workers United Ontario Council is a recognized labor organization and has been since members voted to form in March 2009.

"We are thrilled by the Board's decision today," said Alex Dagg, Director of the Workers United Ontario Council. "Despite numerous claims by UNITE HERE that our union was illegal, the Board has recognized what the members of the Workers United Ontario Council have always known. We were a union on March 16th when our members voted to leave UNITE HERE and we have been a union every day since then, fighting to represent our members at work."

Wednesday's decision by the Ontario Labour Relations Board dismissed two motions by UNITE HERE designed to thwart the democratic choice of members of the Ontario Council. Along with recognizing the Workers United Ontario Council as a legal union, the Board also dismissed a motion UNITE HERE filed after a number of workplaces started voting in Board elections to confirm their representation by Workers United.

"Our members have been clear since March," said James Deane, an apparel worker from Hamilton, Ontario and President of the Workers United Ontario Council. "The Ontario Council voted to leave the failed UNITE HERE merger and join Workers United. Every local that made up the Ontario Council also voted and an overwhelming majority of members signed petitions. UNITE HERE refused to recognize this clear democratic choice and when members, frustrated by their tricks, turned to Board elections, they tried this motion to stop the workers' ballots from being counted but the Board has dismissed this as well."

The decision by the OLRB today means that 9 sealed ballot boxes, representing over 700 workers from a diverse group of industries including food service, manufacturing and hotels, will soon be counted. It is expected those ballot boxes will show workers overwhelmingly choosing Workers United over UNITE HERE, affirming the votes already taken in March 2009.

Workers United, which is affiliated with SEIU, is a union of 150,000 workers in Canada and the US who work in the laundry, food service, hospitality, gaming, apparel, textile, and manufacturing and distribution industries. Workers United includes members from predecessor unions like the ILGWU, ACTWU, UNITE and UNITE HERE.


CONTACT: Michelle Ringuette, +1-202-341-7057, or Wynne Hartviksen,
+1-416-510-0887 ext. 265, both of Workers United