The Ontario Labour Relations Board today denied yet another request by the Ontario Workers Union to postpone hearings on outstanding questions of its status as an official union and the validity of its claimed membership.

SEIU Local 1 Canada President Sharleen Stewart was pleased that “finally after 10 months of OWU’s delaying tactics the labour board made the decision to proceed so it can now begin its investigation into questions about OWU’s claims, alleged fraud and legitimacy.”

“Every single time that the labour board proposed dates to begin hearings the OWU has requested a postponement using one excuse or another, but today the board said no more,” Stewart explained.

“This is an important day for the thousands of SEIU members whose hospitals were disrupted by the leaders of the OWU,” Stewart continued. “The OWU told our members lies and made promises that they could not keep, and since then have used every trick in the book to avoid explaining themselves to the labour board or the workers they claimed they were going to help.”

The hearings begin soon, but their duration is not yet known. As the hearings proceed, SEIU will inform its hospital members of any results.

Last week the OLRB was also informed that OWU’s vice-president, Kelvin Kucey, resigned from the organization. 

SEIU Local 1 Canada represents 17,000 hospital workers in more than 60 hospitals in Ontario.