On the road with the Union Thugs

Health, I introduce myself, I'm a singer in the Union Thugs music group and a member of the IWW-Montreal since 2013. It has been now 2 years that we decided to launch a project that would fill both our union thirst for social justice and passion for music. Thus was born the project group Union Thugs, a music group lobbying for the end of social inequality and revolutionary syndicalism. In two years, we have about 80 concerts all over Ontario and Quebec, in both acoustic or electric formula, on picketing, in industrial action, the shows whose proceeds are intended for judiciarisé.e.s comrades, children's parties, the festival punks, wild concerts on wasteland, etc.

Of 11 the 15 January, we were on the road in Ontario for what we have dubbed the "Back to Work Tour" in reference to the special law imposed by Trudeau and his government to workers and postal workers began a series of pressure tactics, including rotating strikes. It is with a maximum of 14, and a minimum of 9 wobblies[1] we scoured the roads of Ontario between Ottawa, Sudbury, Hamilton et Toronto. Here is a short story of this little tour.

Ottawa

It's a Friday afternoon rather chilly we take towards the Ottawa en route to the first concert of the tour. Some of us decided to make a detour on the road to stop the picket line of workers of Baxtrom's Your Independent Grocer in Cornwall. On the spot, fifteen affiliated strikers we meet there at UFCW Canada Local 1006A[2] which picketed the supermarket with a temperature of more inhospitable. their boss, a franchisee of the company Loblaws (Quebec has the Maxi and Provigo stores), wanted to impose a lengthy contract with in terms of salary conditions peanuts. This is why the employee-s supermarket have mis.es on strike 23 Last November and are on the sidewalk since.

We drive to Ottawa where we tread the stage of the Cafe Dekcuf in which a small concert in union folk fashion was organized by our comrades of the branch of the IWW Ottawa-Outaouais. For the occasion, we accompagné.e.s by artists and unionists The Ashton Starr, Meredith Moon and the band The apparatchiks. We spend a great evening during which we also meet several members of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (STTP-CUPW). One evening as we like where unionism and worker folklore mingle so well. Thank Aalya and Mike for accommodation and the beautiful late-night discussions.

Sudbury

On the morning of 12 January, after a good breakfast, we hit the road, this time, North-west direction, as we head to Sudbury. The Northern Ontario has many workers bastions where the Wobblies had a great influence on the trade union tradition of their presence between the years 1910 and 1940. Sudbury is part of lot, the city is known for its nickel deposits is also for its Franco-Ontarian community and its combative trade union movement in the foreground, les United Steelworkers (ETC)[3]. It is an honor for us to play in one of the bastions of workers Province.

This time, an introductory lecture to unionism IWW version is scheduled (thank you to the Canadian regional organization IWW Committee (CANROC) for support). We take this opportunity to meet some new union members in Sudbury who are currently working to create a branch in their region. Thereafter, we are the only group in the evening the menu bar The Asylum. If this is not the most populous of the tour, Needless to say, we take the opportunity to party and most of our songs in straight sets.

Hamilton

We leave Sudbury towards another worker stronghold of Ontario, Hamilton also we nicknamed it "The Hammer". If it was our first concert life in Sudbury, We are however of Hamilton habitué.e.s. Indeed, it's the city, outside Montreal where Union Thugs played most often. This Sunday 13 January, this will be our fourth concert in this municipality of just over 500 000 habitant.e.s known for its heavy industry on the edge of Lake Ontario. The "Hammer", it's a little home. It's that there are many links between Montreal and Hamilton, and not just because the Bulldogs, former farm team of the Montreal Canadiens. Indeed, either via the music scene in which the two cities regularly exchange bands or via unionism, Montreal branch of the IWW much helped launch the Hamilton branch.

This is also the IWW-Hamilton, in the news with regular blockades in solidarity with the postal workers, which organizes the concert that night. For the occasion, we are accompanied Lee Reed local rapper to set fire to the Tower, anarchist social space of the city. We had played a concert at the emergency Tower, but the space has since moved. Always clean (it's pretty impressive), space welcomes the opportunity for a good sixty spectators concert. We spend a great evening again and local Wobblies tell us that many new faces were on hand for the concert. A beautiful signed IWW-Hamilton success. We take this opportunity to especially thank the fellow workers Erin, Dan and Lee Reed on this evening.

Toronto

We end our visit to Hamilton by some tourism (non-militant) visiting the first Tim Horton's. We take along the road to Toronto, located about 1 hour drive, if we exclude traffic jams (On the other hand, traffic jams, them, have not we exclu.e.s). This is the last town on our itinerary, where we will be producing in the next two evenings. We begin with a small folk concert held at The Arcade, an apartment block inhabited by musicians who have decided to make their living room a small concert hall. This is the second time we spend there and as usual, we comblé.e.s by the welcome. A meal is prepared and everyone can use, which brings a nice touch to community concerts in this place. For the occasion, we are accompanied by artist Meredith Moon (we are well heureux.ses to recover following the concert Ottawa), indie-folk group and Terrastray course, our ami.e.s bon.ne.s folk-punk band Stinkbox, one of the groups that could be called "brother" Union Thugs. Another beautiful evening in the Queen City, courtesy of Meredith, Cat, Beej and people who live in The Arcade.

The next day, mardi 15 January, it is already time of the last concert of the tour. We take this opportunity to organize a small group dinner, During a review of the week, with the people who made the road with us (we are at the moment 9, either 6 Union members and Thugs 3 people who accompany us). We perform that night at Bovine Sex Club, who, as its name does not indicate, East bar-punk specatcle. For the occasion, we accompagné.e.s Morel (folk-punk) et des Wretched Fools (punk). We take this opportunity to give a big concert in electric mode (the only tour) and the atmosphere quickly turns to the party in the room is busy. Another beautiful evening cursed!

For the occasion, and such throughout the tour, Vanessa, who accompanies us, the opportunity to install a table is offered from harm reduction equipment with sterile equipment, condoms, and equipment to safely consume. We take this opportunity to thank AQPSUD well as allowing us to turn with material like this, material that ultimately, used to save lives.

Conclusion

The next morning, we leave the Queen City in the direction of our dear city of Montreal. This is an opportunity to take the time to stop a little on the road. We take this opportunity to return to the picket line supermarket's Baxtrom, this time, with a few more people than at the first stop. That we retain, it's more that people who want to fight against exploitation and to survive at work or in neighborhoods, It's everywhere. We need to increase exchanges and solidarity at meetings over. Thugs Union just want a way to increase contacts between people who want to fight. Do not hesitate to Contact us if you want to organize a group concert in your corner, we are always partant.e.s for evenings where we exchange on unionism and social struggles, all with a little music.

Eric Sedition

[1] Members of the Industrial Union of Workers and Workers (SITT-IWW). The origin of the nickname "wobbly" remains unclear.
[2] United Food and Commercial Workers, better known in Quebec under the name United Workers of Food and Trade (TUAC).
[3] Better known in Quebec under the name Union of Steelworkers.

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