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Support Swells for Locked-Out Canadian Members
Support from viewers and fellow unionists is pouring in for the 5,500 Canadian Media Guild-CWA members who were locked out Monday, Aug. 15, by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation after negotiations broke down over proposals threatening CBC workers' jobs and career paths.
Management at the country's public television network has refused to budge from demands to hire nearly unlimited numbers of "temporary workers" and has rejected the Guild's proposals for compromise.
Management has continued to insist on "untenable concessions and overwhelming changes to the way work is done at the CBC," said CMG President Lise Lareau, calling the lockout an aggressive move that puts not just jobs but public broadcasting itself in jeopardy.
Linda Foley, president of The Newspaper Guild-CWA, agreed. "The CBC has taken a very precarious step that threatens the future of public broadcasting in North America," she said. "The members of the Newspaper Guild sector and CWA members everywhere are 100 percent behind our sisters and brothers of the Canadian Media Guild as they fight to save the CBC."
The Guild office in Canada has received many messages of support for the locked-out workers - on-air, production, technical and administrative staff - as they walk picket lines nationwide.
Especially strong support has come from the United Steelworkers in Canada, whose director said this week that the lockout is foolish and jeopardizes the country's cultural sovereignty. Union leaders said further that the CBC's funding of scab labor is "scandalous."
Addressing the threat to CBC workers' job security, Steelworkers' National Director Ken Neumann said, "These kind of demands are outrageous enough when they arise in the private sector. They are even more outrageous when they are put forward by a public broadcaster, whose mandate is not to make profits but to provide quality programming that links this vast and diverse country."
Leading up to Monday's lockout, the Guild and CBC management had been at the table for more than a year to reach a single agreement covering all TNG-CWA members working at CBC outside Quebec. The employees were formerly in three separate units.
In addition to temporary hires, other critical issues are contracting out, employees' right to reassignment in the event of downsizing, overtime compensation and better opportunity for training and skills development.
TNG-CWA/Canada Director Arnold Amber called the negotiations "the worst set of proposals I have ever seen from the corporation." Members clearly agreed, as they overwhelmingly voted during July to authorize a strike if necessary.
For more information about the talks and updates on the lockout, visit the CMG's website at:
http://www.cmg.ca/cbcbranchnegsupdatesn.asp or simply go to www.cmg.ca and follow the links.
Management at the country's public television network has refused to budge from demands to hire nearly unlimited numbers of "temporary workers" and has rejected the Guild's proposals for compromise.
Management has continued to insist on "untenable concessions and overwhelming changes to the way work is done at the CBC," said CMG President Lise Lareau, calling the lockout an aggressive move that puts not just jobs but public broadcasting itself in jeopardy.
Linda Foley, president of The Newspaper Guild-CWA, agreed. "The CBC has taken a very precarious step that threatens the future of public broadcasting in North America," she said. "The members of the Newspaper Guild sector and CWA members everywhere are 100 percent behind our sisters and brothers of the Canadian Media Guild as they fight to save the CBC."
The Guild office in Canada has received many messages of support for the locked-out workers - on-air, production, technical and administrative staff - as they walk picket lines nationwide.
Especially strong support has come from the United Steelworkers in Canada, whose director said this week that the lockout is foolish and jeopardizes the country's cultural sovereignty. Union leaders said further that the CBC's funding of scab labor is "scandalous."
Addressing the threat to CBC workers' job security, Steelworkers' National Director Ken Neumann said, "These kind of demands are outrageous enough when they arise in the private sector. They are even more outrageous when they are put forward by a public broadcaster, whose mandate is not to make profits but to provide quality programming that links this vast and diverse country."
Leading up to Monday's lockout, the Guild and CBC management had been at the table for more than a year to reach a single agreement covering all TNG-CWA members working at CBC outside Quebec. The employees were formerly in three separate units.
In addition to temporary hires, other critical issues are contracting out, employees' right to reassignment in the event of downsizing, overtime compensation and better opportunity for training and skills development.
TNG-CWA/Canada Director Arnold Amber called the negotiations "the worst set of proposals I have ever seen from the corporation." Members clearly agreed, as they overwhelmingly voted during July to authorize a strike if necessary.
For more information about the talks and updates on the lockout, visit the CMG's website at:
http://www.cmg.ca/cbcbranchnegsupdatesn.asp or simply go to www.cmg.ca and follow the links.