Towards mid-May, the Solidarity Committee of the IWW Montreal decided to revive more actively campaign Reclaim your pay. Campaign we are doing for a few years, it is roughly going to recover through solidarity, support and direct action for wage or non-paid amount to one or a employé.e.

After some training given to members and the creation of new posters, we started papering around a few subway stops to the end of July. Less than a week later, the phone began ringing union. Here's some of what looked like our campaigns in recent weeks.

Andrée*, restoration worker, contacted us for help and advice following a wrongful dismissal and because she has difficulty writing in French. To lose one's job, and therefore his income, especially when the pension age approach, is considerable stress. Rather than leave her alone with her anguish, So we met a few times. We listened and took the time to understand his situation.

We put in contact with the ITC (Center worker / immigrant workers), one of our precious allied groups, with whom we helped her to write a letter of complaint . It may sound trite as case, but in a world where isolation is a managerial tool, Solidarity is our best weapon. We remain linked and maintain monitoring.

Another situation crappy, that of Denise *. While working day in residence, his employer unilaterally decided to transfer to a night schedule, something that Denise could not afford. No other choice, she had to resign, not without bitterness. Bitterly, Yes, because a schedule change drastically is a common form of disguised reference to the bosses. Where it hurt, is that his employer refused to issue her ROE, while preventing the making unemployment application. He had to contact him soon this boss who had treated with little respect for this document.

Call a former employer, especially when it seems to have the upper hand, is not always easy. One of our members has taken the time to listen and do with it what to say, in her own words. Make inoculation, prepare for aftershocks bosses and thus "arming", is the watchword in the IWW. A wise person is forearmed. She called her former boss and managed to get his ROE. Not that she could not have done alone, but be shouldered makes the least onerous task.

Our case is a first for the IWW Montreal. * Maxime worked as a waiter for almost a week at a karaoke bar / restaurant. The fifth night, a guided group is landed. Forty people of all ages, including several mineur.e.s. Certain.e.s drank alcohol, others not, the professeur.e.s accompanying their students were distrait.e.s. Is what had to happen happened : of mineur.e.s drank alcohol, including a boy of eleven who stole a shooter on a cabaret and everything vomited a few minutes later.

Panic pogne. By order of the boss, Maximus was forced to board the car manager, to go to the hotel where the group is located, where he was asked to apologize. kneeling. Nothing less. Back at the bar, long after the time that it had to end, the boss told him he sent him away and refused to pay him the & rsquo; entire salary, while threatening to call the police if Maxime made a complaint to Labor Standards. So lacked a bit more 200$ for hours worked. This was followed by a campaign of harassment by the boss, to ensure that the employee would be silent.

We therefore met with him and established a plan of action. We first tried to reason with the boss by a simple call, without success. We forced a meeting at the bar with him to propose an agreement drafted by Maxime and corrected by our members. Nothing is more arrogant than a person with a big checkbook.

An hour and a half later continuing threats, stubbornness on the part of our members who refused to leave without the missing wages prevailed, the boss signed a check with the total sum cursing. We are always in contact with Maxime, just to ensure that the harassment has not resumed.

This means that for a yes or a no, our most basic rights can be ignored. We continue the campaign and start again to display shortly. While not infallible, we will be united and will always offer assistance in our means.

To conclude, some inoculation. The best way to avoid unpaid wages, wrongful dismissal, harassment, continues to organize with colleagues. When our workplace is organized and united, we, the Workers, are the best line of defense against abuse, and the most able to improve our working conditions.

Solidarity.

*For confidentiality reasons, the names have been changed.