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Workers of the yet-to-be certified union at The Bridge homeless shelter in Halifax, Nova Scotia, demonstrated in front of the offices of the Nova Scotia Labour Board on Wednesday, February 19.
The workers, who have unionized with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 2, voted to certify their union in June 2024. Now, eight months after that vote, the ballot still remains sealed over objections from the employer, Adsum House.
The workers denounced the Board for working with their employer to delay their union certification. The workers were joined by dozens of supporters from other SEIU locals, other unions such as the Canadian Union of Postal Workers and the public broadly in a show of solidarity.
The North Star spoke with workers Terry Ayles and Madeleine Saulnier-Gallant about their struggle with the Board and Adsum.
"I know that our employer had objections," said Ayles. "I imagine that had a lot to do with it. They really love to do anything to help Adsum because the Labour Board is not for the workers."
In the face of the Labour Board's hostility to workers, Ayles says, "The best thing we can do is stand in solidarity. We can stand in solidarity and fight with all other shelters across the industry and not give up in the face of these difficulties."
Among the issues that prompted the union drive was lack of sufficient benefits for the workers. "Some of us hold two, three, four jobs just to hold our benefits from other places because we don't get good enough benefits where we're currently at," said Ayles.
Madeleine Saulnier-Gallant cited a lack of paid time off that contributes to worker burnout:
"The emotional toll that this kind of work takes requires time off and time to reflect and process what's happening, and we get the bare minimum vacation days, sick days, wellness days."
She also noted scheduling issues. "Our casuals are all fighting over 40 shifts in a two-week period and maybe getting one [each]," she told The North Star.
"A lot of the issues were facing in our workplace are not unique to The Bridge," she added. "We're standing up for our rights in our workplace, but were also standing up for those same things in other workplaces and for other working people. We're all standing in solidarity."
Labour Board and Employers Hand-in-Hand
Other workers who spoke at the rally testified to the anti-worker nature of the Nova Scotia Labour Board. Cailen Pygott, who lead a union drive at the Java Blend coffee shop chain in 2023, spoke about how the Labour Board gave the employer every opportunity to delay the certification process. The Board refused to interpret the law and permitted the delay tactics from the employer, such claiming to have not read certain legal arguments in preparation for mediation.
Java Blend workers did eventually succeed in their certification under SEIU Local 2, but not before Pygott and two other main organizers were illegally fired.
Many of the workers who spoke at the rally pointed out that by delaying union certification processes, the employers try to break drives through attrition, legal maneuvering and financial pressure on the workers and their unions. They also pointed out that the legal costs of the battle dwarf the proposed wage increases and benefits that the workers seek to gain through a collective agreement.
Nova Scotia has some of the most anti-worker and anti-union labour laws in the country, especially when it comes to union certification. These laws, combined with a Labour Board that is hostile to unions and unwilling to perform its most basic functions, provide employers ample opportunities to gum up the works of union drives with delays and costly legal battles.
Among the objections Adsum has put forward is the inclusion of casual workers in the union. In Nova Scotia, the employer is entitled to object to who is allowed into the union and whose votes count or do not count towards the certification. This mechanism is one of the main methods used by employers to divide workers and delay the certification process.
The Bridge workers sent a clear message to Adsum House and the Labour Board that they will not accept the exclusion of their casual worker comrades from their union and will not be divided.