Press Statement : Occupation of the Ministry of Family and the Elderly of Québec

Montreal, March 9th 2015. Today, the Industrial Workers of the World – Montreal, as well as several community members, occupied the Ministry of Family and the Elderly of Quebec. This action took place in the context of a vast movement against austerity measures and the campaign for a social strike on May 1st 2015.

Many workers are now facing the effects of these measures: health workers, municipal employees, firemen and firewomen, postal workers, students, private sector workers, and more. Yet resistance in being organized everywhere. We will not let governments (whether conservative or liberal) and bosses impose on us their anti-social policies. The time of a minority enriching itself of the backs of an increasingly poor majority is finished. Our unity allows us to strike back at the bosses’ logic. And as such, it must only grow.

The government’s various budget cuts will directly impact the quality and existence of public services. The downsizing of staff at CPEs (child-care centers) and day-cares will not only have drastic consequences for the workers of these establishments, since their jobs are at stake, but also for community members who will no longer have the means to pay for private care services once public options are eliminated. Once again, it’s the poorest of society that will suffer from the government’s policies. In occupying the Ministry, we aimed to demonstrate our solidarity, and our anger against the deterioration of public services.

The IWW Montreal is calling for mobilization towards a national general strike on May 1st 2015. We invite all workers to lead and multiply occupations, blockages and sabotage.

Against the bosses, politicians, and the like: Unions fight back with the general strike!

Industrial Workers of the World – Montreal

Media contact: 438-345-5046

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DU MIC À LA RUE : EN ROUTE VERS LA GRÈVE GÉNÉRALE DU 1ER MAI 2015!

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Du mic’ à la rue

Du mic’ à la rue, il n’y a qu’un pas. Un pas étroit entre le bon son et la révolution. Parce que notre émancipation sera l’occasion d’une grande fête, contre la vie morne et plate qu’ils nous imposent. Notre culture n’a ni frontière ni nation, notre réussite n’est pas financière et notre musique ne reconnait aucuns patrons. C’est celle des blocks party contre leur racisme, des révolté-e-s contre leur fascisme. C’est notre arme contre leur police, notre vengeance face à leurs injustices. C’est le rap des opprimé-e-s contre les oppresseurs, des dominé-e-s face aux agresseurs. Car tant qu’il n’y aura pas de justice, nous n’accepterons aucune paix.

Multiplions les shows

Multiplions les occupations et les actions

Jusqu’au bout, jusqu’à la révolution !

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Laval, February 16th 2015 This morning, the IWW Montreal, the Student Workers Union of the University of Quebec at Montreal, as well as several other citizens, took part in the disruption of a Canada Post distribution center in Laval, Quebec.

This action in solidarity with postal workers is set in a current context of struggles against austerity, and in the scope of the campaign for a social strike on May 1st 2015.

Today, many workers are directly confronted with the effects of budget cuts to health services, to municipal employees, to firemen and firewomen, to postal workers, to students, to workers in the private sector…

Yet, resistance is organizing itself everywhere. We will not let different governments (whether conservative or liberal) and the bosses impose their anti-social measures on us. The time of a minority enriching itself on the back of an impoverished majority is finished.

Our unity allows us to wage a radical struggle in the face of the bosses’ logic. This struggle must only grow.

The government’s different budget cuts will impact all services, as well as the quality of public services. As a result, the ones suffering its every day effects are going to be the general population. The elimination of door-to-door postal services is no exception, since it will affect post accessibility for those people who are older, single parents, or living with a disability.

These measures will also have immense consequences for the workers of Canada Post, since the existence of their jobs is equally tenuous. In consideration of all this, we decided to show our solidarity and our anger in the face of the deterioration of public services.

Against the bosses’ rules: Union Struggle – General Strike!

The IWW Montreal calls for a mobilization towards a national general strike on May 1st 2015. For more information, please consult the union’s website.

IWW Montreal

438-345-5046

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Vers la grève du 1er mai 2015!

To read this article in English, click here.

La lutte est déjà amorcée. Les syndicats, les étudiant-e-s et les différents groupes sociaux sont sur un pied d’alerte. Ce printemps, nous aurons besoin d’être unis. La grève générale du 1er mai 2015 ne sera possible que si nous sommes solidaires les uns envers les autres.

Rappelons-nous que le code du travail limite le droit de grève et l’action syndicale dans le but de restreindre les effets des luttes de la classe ouvrière. Il oblige les patrons et les travailleurs et travailleuses à négocier «avec diligence et bonne foi», jusqu’à adoption d’une convention collective. Mais le patronat et l’État utilisent en tout temps les lois spéciales et les lock-out pour nous bâillonner. Mais bien sûr, cela n’est pas considéré comme des négociations de mauvaise foi…

Ce même code du travail qui fait en sorte, qu’entre deux ententes, c’est la paix sociale. Pas de possibilité de grève, pas de possibilité de revendiquer. Les grèves politiques, les grèves dans les milieux de travail, ou même encore, les grèves de solidarité, sont interdites et lourdement sanctionnées. Et si le patronat consent à offrir quelques maigres concessions, c’est au prix du silence et de la soumission des salarié-e-s pour toute la durée de l’entente.

Il faut donc se réapproprier nos moyens de luttes afin de créer un rapport de force solide et ainsi obtenir ce qui nous revient. Ces lois, ces droits, qu’on semble vouloir nous donner, sont dûment réfléchis. C’est pour nous berner, c’est pour nous empêcher de nous solidariser, c’est pour nous empêcher de nous unir, c’est pour nous empêcher de lutter et de gagner!

Ne nous laissons pas dicter nos moyens de lutter par nos exploiteurs.

Soyons tous et toutes solidaires.

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Conférence du Comité d’organisation des travailleurs et travailleuses incarcéré-e-s

Le SITT-IWW vous invite à une conférence portant sur le Comité d’organisation des travailleurs et travailleuses incarcéré-e-s, celle-ci sera divisé en deux parties, l’une sur l’historique du comité et l’autre sur la mise en place d’un comité d’organisation de travailleurs et travailleuse incarcéré-e-s et d’un groupe de soutient à l’extérieur de la prison.

Pour plus d’informations sur cet événement, cliquez ici. 

The SITT-IWW invites you to a conference about the Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee, which will be done in two parts, the first being the history of this committee and the second parts will be how to start an incarcerated workers organizing committee and a support group outside of jail.

For more information on this event, click here. 

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For a minimum wage of $15 an hour for all !

The State and its principal allies, the bosses, seek to maintain workers in conditions of poverty by keeping their wages low. The number of households that sink 80% of their salaries into rent has increased by 26% in only 5 years, and more than 220,000 households must commit at least 50% of their wages to have a roof over their heads. In Montreal, we’re talking about 365,000 people, 208,800 of which are women, who work for minimum wage. The ultimate slap in the face for these workers is when they find themselves on workers’ comp at 55% of their salary. And that’s if they even qualify for it.

Workers are pushed more and more towards minimum wage work, and because of this, towards debt. It’s in the bosses’ interest for people to continually work more, sometimes with two jobs, at lower pay, all because it means more profits for them.

What’s more is that this has the effect of tiring and isolating workers, all the while limiting their opportunities to rebel. That’s the real effect of trying to make ends meet.

Those working for minimum wage are the most vulnerable of the working class. To better their immediate conditions fundamentally implies going against the interests of the bosses, and as such is a step towards a more just society; an anti-capitalist society. These demands show the workers that they have the capacity to advance and win through the power of their unity. One must not forget that “the history of all societies has always been a history of class war.” (Karl Marx)

Let us prevent the workers from folding under the weight of capitalism! Let us demand and fight for a minimum wage of $15.00 an hour for all!

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Être délégué-e, ce n’est pas que ramasser des cotisations!

To read this article in english, click here.

Un article par DJ Alperovitz sur le rôle des délégué-e-s du SITT-IWW, paru originellement dans l’édition de décembre 2012 de l’Industrial Worker sous le titre Not just dues collectors.

Traduction libre par x 374166 de l’IWW Montréal 19/11/2014.

Au cours des derniers mois, différentes discussions ont eu lieu sur Facebook à propos de délégué-e-s de l’IWW qui auraient pris des décisions arbitraires, dépassant largement le cadre de leur mandat (par exemple en refusant à des étudiant-e-s le droit d’entrer dans le syndicat ou en faisant littéralement couler une campagne d’organisation). À de nombreuses reprises, il a ainsi été rappelé que les délégué-e-s ne sont que des «volontaires devant ramasser les cotisations». En tant que délégué qui a essayé de vivre chacun de ses mandats selon des standards des plus élevés, je trouve ces deux déclarations extrêmement troublantes. D’un coté, nous trouvons des délégué-e-s qui n’ont clairement pas reçu une formation correcte (voir une formation tout court) et qui n’ont pas lu leur manuel de délégué-e-s et de l’autre il semble qu’il y ait une incompréhension au sujet de la position de délégué-e par les membres de l’IWW. Lire la suite →

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Not just “a dues collector”


An article by DJ Alperovitz on the role of IWW delegates.

Over the last few months there have been several Facebook discussions about IWW delegates who have made arbitrary decisions outside of their job description (e.g. not allowing students to join and stalling an organizing campaign). Several times there have been statements made that delegates are just “volunteers to accept dues.” As a delegate who has tried to live up to high standards, I find both these assertions troubling. On the one hand, some delegates are obviously not receiving any training or even reading their “Delegate’s Manual,” and on the other hand, there appears to be a misunderstanding of the position by fellow IWW members. Lire la suite →

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