No Result

“The people who cast the votes don't decide an election, the people who count the votes do.” - Joseph Stalin

The vote to determine whether or not the legal clinic would be unionized was held on Friday morning. It was preceded by a week of frenetic activity on my part, trying to convince, within the legally allowable boundaries, the clinic staff that unionization would be bad for the clinic and bad for them. I suspect I did not succeed.

Through a series of challenges on both sides, it was determined that there were nine eligible voters for Friday's election. Eight came. The union challenged the rights of two of them to be in the bargaining unit. Management challenged the rights of two others. As a result, the challenged ballots were segregated until a hearing can be held to hear the arguments. Because half of the voters were segregated, the Labour Board official in attendance at the vote yesterday, decided not to count any of the ballots but to seal the ballot box until after a ruling on each side's exclusion arguments. Until that decision, I didn't even know that was a possible outcome.

What the decision does do, is leave us in suspended animation until at the earliest mid-April or until one side or the other gives up our challenge whichever is first. I strongly suspect it is moot. Judging from the way staff were avoiding me on Friday when I went into the office, I'm reasonably sure they have all the votes they need to certify, whether or not our challenges stand. It is not the end of the world. It's just disappointing. And like in every election, their choice will get them the results they deserve. It isn't going to be pretty but they can't say I didn't warn them.