SEIU Field Staff Walk Off the Job

Organizers and Union representatives working for the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) local 1 are on strike despite a last minute attempt to avoid a labour dispute. The workers, who belong the Teamsters local 879, are set to picket the headquarters of the Ontario Federation of Labour, where SEIU has an office. Labour disputes between a union and its own employees are never easy and have the potential to be very embarrassing for everybody involved. That said, having previously worked for a union, I can say that I understand the need for union organizers and union representatives to form their own unions and to strike, especially when the employer is pushing concessions.