Information Picket!!
Sunday July 27, 3:00pm
In front of the Loomis art store (owned by De Serres)
130 Spadina Ave. (Just South of Richmond)

Join members of Common Cause and the Industrial Workers of the World in this informational picket in support of CNT union members in France who were sacked with no compensation by the owner of De Serres / Loomis.

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Canadian business discards French workers

Art supply employees demand compensation!

Marc DeSerres, celebrated Quebec entrepreneur and the man behind 26 cross-Canada art supply stores, told French workers and customers that he would turn Artacréa SA around when he purchased that company in May 2007. He criticized previous owners for not putting enough money into the enterprise. He promised to renovate his stores and upgrade their information systems. At the time, he called his investment in France, "an extraordinary opportunity." 2008, he said, would be a year of profit for his European operation.

That was one year ago. By June 11, the "year of profit" was apparently over and DeSerres was singing a different tune. The board of directors of DeSerres France learned on that date that the group's owner would not be injecting any fresh investment into the company. In July, a state of suspension of payments was declared. The result?

Some 180 jobs are in the process of vanishing and, as the French National Confederation of Labour (CNT) says, "many families will find themselves in distress."

In solidarity with the workers of DeSerres France, we demand that this Canadian businessman use his ample resources to meet certain moral obligations. We add our voice to that of the CNT: financial compensation for every dismissed worker! A fair deal for employees who, despite managerial incompetence, improved sales volumes in their stores and notably improved their company's prospects.

An injury to one is an injury to all!

Text by Toronto IWW, July 20, 2008.