Windsor Workers Action Centre

Solidarity Demonstration:Wednesday, November 21, 2007 at 12noon – 1pm.500 Ouellette Ave.

This demonstration is in solidarity with Patrick Fletcher who was recently fired by Sutherland Global Services, a local call centre in Windsor. Patrick, who is of First Nations descent, had experienced racially offensive comments from his Senior Operations Manger. Patrick obviously took issue with the senior official making derogatory reference to "you Indians." After discussing the verbal abuse with the Ontario Human Rights Commission, he took their advice to allow the company the opportunity to formally apologize. Receiving no response, Fletcher filed a formal human rights complaint with the Commission, which protects Ontarians from discrimination, including that based on race, ancestry, and ethnic origin. The Human Rights Code also "protects individuals from reprisal for trying to enforce their human rights".

Shortly after, Fletcher's employment with Sutherland was terminated, on what the company refers to as "just cause." Self-described as a "good employee" with no problems in the eight months he worked at the call centre, Fletcher was given no explanation for what this "just cause" was.Since his firing, Patrick Fletcher has engaged in a lone protest against Sutherland's human rights infractions, every week day from 9am to 1pm and has gained tremendous local support. While his picket outside the call centre may have started alone, he has been joined by representatives from the CAW, Labour Studies at the University of Windsor, Windsor Workers Action Centre, and local members of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). Patrick is now relying on you to come out and demonstrate that workers in Windsor fully understand that an injury to one, is an injury to all.

- Labour Studies Student Association.

- Windsor Workers Action Centre.