Labour Day: From Parades to Pickets!

Labour Day in Canada began on April 15, 1872 when the Toronto Trades Assembly organized a mass workers' demonstration, in part to demand the release of 24 leaders of the Toronto Typographical Union who had been imprisoned for striking to gain a nine-hour workday.

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Labour Day: From Parades to Pickets!

Labour Day in Canada began on April 15, 1872 when the Toronto Trades Assembly organized a mass workers' demonstration, in part to demand the release of 24 leaders of the Toronto Typographical Union who had been imprisoned for striking to gain a nine-hour workday. This was a time when unions were illegal and organizers could face charges of "criminal conspiracy". The march, which saw 10 000 people take to the streets, was an important show of defiance and determination in the face of stiff repression.

What began, in the heat of struggle, as a celebration of the dignity and honour of working people has become little more than a parade or picnic. In Toronto thousands of rank-and-file workers march to the CNE grounds where we are subjected to flyovers by military jets - a reminder of the firepower the bosses have at their disposal to make sure we stay in our place.

Labour Day could be so much more than it is, however. It's still the one time each year when thousands of members of different unions and different locals come together to stand in solidarity with one another. It's an opportunity to share information and ideas about organizing and our common struggles against the bosses. More than a chance to communicate, however, Labour Day could be a day of action. In Toronto, this Labour Day there are several workplaces where our fellow workers could benefit from the appearance of a lively assembly of trade unionists. In fact some workers are already planning to picket Amato's Pizza (Queen West and Bathurst), a previously popular stop for hungry Labour Day marchers, in support of unorganized workers who've been shafted on thousands of dollars pay. Labour Day was born of organizing and resistance - we need to remember our roots. We've got the equivalent of a mobile mass picket each Labour Day, why not use it?

by Jeff Shantz

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Amato Pizza, the popular pizza chain with locations on Queen West,College, and St. Clair West, owes a former worker almost $8,000 in unpaid wages.

After 6 years working at Amato, Michelle Spencer was fired for asking for months of unpaid wages. Many other Amato workers are also owed wages, paid irregularly, or forced to quit when they are not paid.

Amato's refusal to pay workers' wages is one more example of ineffective enforcement by the Ministry of Labour which allows deadbeat bosses to continually break employment laws and abuse workers without consequence or penalty.

We will continue to demand that Amato pay Ms. Spencer's wages and we will inform Amato customers about this employer's illegal practices.

For more info:
Workers' Action Centre 416-531-0778 ext 223
Parkdale Legal Clinic 416-531-2411 ext 255

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:: PHONE BLITZ :: PHONE BLITZ :: PHONE BLITZ ::
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* * EVERY FRIDAY NIGHT**
from 6:30 to 7:30 PM,
call Amato Pizza's delivery line: 416-703-8989

Let's jam their phone lines and let them know that you won't order pizza until the owners pay the workers their owed wages !! CALL as many times as you can during Friday's dinner hour to help us make the message strong and clear. BE SURE to let the phone line workers know that you want to make sure that they are getting paid properly too! Every Friday, we will phone blitz Amato's pizza delivery line, until they pay up!

Save the date for our upcoming rally:
September 13, 2005. Location and time to be announced.

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Strike!
anarchist news and commentary
vol.1, issue 3

a publication of:
Punching Out,
an autonomous member collective of NEFAC: Northeastern Federation of Anarchist-Communists an organization of revolutionaries comingfrom different movements of resistance who identify with the communist tradition within anarchism. The federation's activities are organized around theoretical development, anarchist propaganda, and intervention in the struggle of our class, be it autonomously or by direct involvement in social movements.

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