Diane is a housekeeper/day cleaner in St. Catharines, where she has lived her entire life.  She has worked there for a little more than 5 years. Her husband, who is retired, and she support their teenage children on his pension and her work at the hotel.

This summer, Diane decided that she was going to do something to make improvements at work.  From her experience as a nurse, a job that is largely unionized in Canada, she knew that a union was the best way to make those changes.  She also felt that unionized workers at other hotels in the area, were treated more fairly than her co-workers and she were.  She believed this was because they are members of a union.  She also felt that she needed to do what she could to improve the general treatment of workers in the industry because what many workers did when faced with bad conditions, quitting, doesn’t work when most non-union hotels operate under the same conditions.

She contacted the union and started signing up her co-workers with the Union. On September 5th, she was told by a co-worker that her supervisor had discovered her efforts to build a union.  Less than 5 days later, she was fired, even though she had a clean record through her past 5 years of employment.

We believe that Diane’s leadership in the union drive got her fired.  We took our case to the Labour Board and they ordered the hotel to reinstate Diane pending a full hearing of the charges.  She is currently back working in the hotel.

But the story doesn’t end there.  If an employer wants to keep a union out, they will try to scare the employees out of supporting the union.  When Diane came back to work, she was harassed, isolated and intimidated.  What could be more effective to send a message to her co-workers: "If you support or try to lead a union effort, this is what will happen to you too." 

From the moment of her firing support for the union came to a halt.  Message received.

If employers can fire workers who try to organize unions and the law does not take drastic steps to rectify the situation, is the law really respecting the rights of workers to organize into unions?

While we work to demand that improvements be made to Ontario’s labour laws, we need to protect courageous workers like Diane.  We need to let them know that whatever their boss may do to them, we will stand by their side.  Will you stand with Diane? 

(For more information about why working conditions in the tourism industry in the Niagara region need to improve, please read “Challenges and Opportunities for Improving employment conditions in Niagara’s hotel sector” by Proff Rob Hickey of Queen’s University)