Props and respect to the workers of the Holiday Inn On King – maids, bussers and dishwashers recently won 10.5% to 18% pay raises over three years. This follows a 45 minute union-organized “wildcat strike” on Nov. 11 – which is international hotel workers day. The union also won their demand for a three year contract which brings the contract in line with other hotel contracts which will all expire at the same time giving the union considerable bargaining power.

TTC management pleads guilty to poisoning workers and is fined over $200,000 or a paltry $25,000 per worker. I guess that's all our lives are worth to the capitalist courts. In another recent ruling a Havelock Ont., mining and mineral processing company was fined $60,000 in the Ontario Court of Justice, December 6, 2007, in connection with the injury of a young worker who fell off a catwalk with no guard rails in 2006.

The CUPE organized municipal workers of Kawartha
Lakes voted overwhelmingly to strike over the City's attempts to contract out union jobs when their currnet contract expires on December 31.

In an unsurprising vote (as things are never put to a vote by the national executive unless they're sure of the outcome) the CAW council formally approved the so-called “framework of fairness” with Magna that sees workers there lose the right to strike in return for unionization. However, there is still simmering anger from union militants with one retired Oshawa union member calling it “A sellout to the capitalist class” in a letter to the Toronto Star.

The Bank of Nova Soctia has been slapped with a class-action lawsuit for unpaid overtime totaling $350 million dollars. This follows lawsuits against CIBC for $600M and Lawyers said evidence from the Scotiabank suit, coupled with that of CIBC, suggests unpaid overtime may prove to be widespread in the financial services industry.