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Support Halifax Healthcare Worker Unjustly Fired For Organizing A Union!
by Tony Tracy Sunday, Jun. 11, 2006 at 9:11 AM
tony at tao.ca (email address validated) (902) 233-1713

    Retirement home worker fired for taking part in union organizing drive at
his workplace. Support Mike Gardiner -- tell GEM Health Care Group & Melville
Gardens to respect their workers right to organize a union! 

download PDF (73.9 kibibytes)

WORKER FIRED FOR TAKING PART IN UNION ORGANIZING DRIVE AT RETIREMENT HOME

GEM HEALTH CARE GROUP UNFAIR!
GIVE MIKE GARDINER HIS JOB BACK!

On Thursday June 1st, workers employed by GEM Health Care Group at Melville
Gardens Retirement and Assisted Living Facility in Halifax voted to join the
Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 902. By the day of the
vote, an overwhelming majority of these workers had signed union cards and
committed to support their new union.

On Friday June 2nd, the morning following the vote to unionize, maintenance
worker Mike Gardiner (who was very active in organizing his workplace) was
unjustly fired by GEM Health Care Group management. SEIU believes that this
unfair firing was in clear retaliation for Mike’s role in helping to form a
union at his workplace.

Lawyers for SEIU Local 902 have filed charges against GEM Health Care Group at
the Labour Board to get Mike his job back.

You can help by telling GEM Health Care that you support Mike against their
unjust firing, and tell them to respect the law, respect their workers right
to unionize, and to give Mike his job back.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

Phone and fax the management of GEM Health Care Group and Melville Gardens to
tell them to respect their employees right to form a union and give Mike
Gardiner his job back:

- Syed Hussain, President - GEM Health Care Group (Phone: 902-429-6227 / Fax:
902-429-6275)

- Cecile Adair, Manager of Care Services - Melville Gardens (Phone:
902-477-3135 / Fax: 902-477-2718 / Email: cecile.adair at gemhealth.com)

JOIN US FOR AN INFORMATION PICKET & LEAFLETING:

- Monday June 12th to Friday June 16th:

Daily information pickets and leafleting from 8:30am - 10am, and from 4:00pm -
5:30pm, outside the corporate offices for GEM Health Care Group (the parent
company of Melville Gardens), located at 1046 Barrington Street (near the
train station on the lower/south end of Barrington). Join workers from
Melville Gardens as they leaflet to support their co-worker, Mike. Workers
will be meeting 15 minutes before each information picket (ie. 8:15am and
3:45pm) at the Tim Hortons at 1047 Barrington Street (across the street from
GEM Health Care's corporate offices).

- Monday June 12th (and possibly other dates throughout the week):

Early evening information picket and leaflet outside The Garden Inn Bed &
Breakfast at 1263 South Park Street, Halifax, beginning at 6:00pm. This Bed &
Breakfast is co-owned by Syed Hussain (president of GEM Health Care Group) and
his son Paul Hussain (who is the Administrator of Melville Gardens). Mike
Gardiner was paid last summer by GEM Health Care Group to paint the exterior
of the Garden Inn B&B.

Other information pickets and actions are being planned throughout the
upcoming days and weeks. Please contact us for details of other actions and
events in support of Mike and the newly unionized workers at Melville Gardens.

For more information, phone SEIU Organizer Tony Tracy at 902-233-1713
http://www.seiulocal902.ca • http://www.seiu.ca

www.seiulocal902.ca

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Media Release: Halifax Retirement Home Worker Unjustly Fired For Union Organizing
by Tony Tracy Sunday, Jun. 11, 2006 at 7:12 PM
tony at tao.ca (902) 233-1713

download PDF (250.3 kibibytes)

HALIFAX RETIREMENT HOME WORKER
UNJUSTLY FIRED FOR UNION ORGANIZING

Union rallies around fired worker

HALIFAX, June 12, 2006 – Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local
902 have filed Unfair Labour Practice charges at the Nova Scotia Labour Board
against management of GEM Health Care Group and Melville Gardens Retirement
and Assisted Living Facility on behalf of a worker who was unfairly fired for
his role in unionizing his workplace.

Workers at Melville Gardens in Halifax, who are employed by GEM Health Care
Group, came together in late May to form a union by joining SEIU Local 902. An
overwhelming majority of these workers signed union cards and showed visible
support for the union in their workplace.

The day after a Labour Board conducted union certification vote earlier this
month, maintenance worker Mike Gardiner was fired by GEM Health Care Group
management. The union maintains that this firing was in retaliation for
Gardiner’s role in being a vocal proponent of a union in his workplace.

“No one should be fired for wanting to better their work environment through
their legal right of union represenation,” says SEIU Canada Organizer Tony
Tracy. “We will be sending a clear message to GEM Health Care that this kind
of action will not go unchallenged.”

“We feel that we have a very strong case with the Labour Board, and stand
firmly behind the complaints that we have filed against the unfair targetting
and firing of Mike Gardiner,” Tracy said. “The unfair actions of GEM Health
Care will not distract us from our mission of protecting the rights and
improving the lives of working people throughout Nova Scotia.”

SEIU Local 902 and Gardiner’s co-workers at Melville Gardens have organized
several actions at various locations in Halifax over the next week to show
their support for Mr. Gardiner.

SEIU is the largest and fastest growing union in North America, with 98,000
workers in Canada and 1.8 million workers worldwide. The majority of SEIU
Canada members work in health care services, including home care, nursing
homes, retirement homes, hospitals and emergency service.

-30-

Media Contact:

Tony Tracy, SEIU Organizer, 902-233-1713 / email: tracyt at seiu.ca