Osborne bakery firing sparks protest

About a dozen protesters paraded and sang in front of Stella's Cafe and Bakery in Winnipeg's Osborne Village Sunday morning to protest the firing of a cook who was trying to organize a union at the eatery.

Members of the Industrial Workers of the World, which lobbies for workplace fairness, handed out pamphlets and chanted slogans in support of John Stillwell, a former cook at Stella's. Stillwell says he was fired a week ago for trying to organize the kitchen and wait staff.

"It's not entirely the worst place to work, but I'm up for organizing at any workplace," he says. "There have been some questionable things happening here."

Stillwell cites the break policy as one example: he says workers are given 20-minute paid breaks, instead of the standard 30-minute unpaid break.

Stella's owner, Tomas Sohlberg, says he was just as surprised as diners to see the protesters outside – surprised both the protest itself and by the idea that someone would want to organize a union at his restaurant.

"This is something you would see at a big business or a big company that has more employees than 30 employees," he says.

Sohlberg says the Stillwell was fired because he wasn't a "team player," not because of any union talk.

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