Category Archives: Labour
Labour Day Message from CWA Canada President Martin O’Hanlon
Sept. 4, 2020
Dear fellow CWA Canada members,
For the first time in memory, we will not be marching this Labour Day.
But we will not be silent.
As we mourn our fellow media workers and the many others who have lost their lives due to the pandemic, we will pay tribute to those who continue to provide vital news and information, often risking their own health to do so.
We will shout to defend quality jobs, quality journalism, a vibrant free press, a strong, independent labour movement and to demand racial, economic and social equality.
Unfortunately, many regimes around the world are using the pandemic as yet another excuse to crack down of press freedom, labour unions, and democracy.
And the struggle for equality continues, reinvigorated by the Black Lives Matter movement.
This Labour Day, we vow to keep up the fight against injustice of all kinds:
- We will publicly call out governments and bad actors to embarrass them into behaving better.
- We will use social media to educate and rally the public by sharing information about fake news, disinformation, and hate, while promoting trusted, reliable news sources.
- We will support Black Lives Matter and other movements fighting for equality.
- And we will push for sanctions against leaders and politicians around the world who attack press freedom — block key politicians and officials from travelling abroad and seize their foreign assets and see how quickly things change.
This weekend, please stand with us, pledge your support in the fight for justice, and take a moment to think about what you can do to help.
Victory: Charges Dropped Against Dan Heyman
Source: newsguild.org/mediaguild
Sept. 6, 2017 – Charges have been dropped against radio reporter Dan Heyman, who was arrested May 9 after he persisted in asking questions of Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price in a hallway at the West Virginia capitol.
“The State has determined, after a careful review of the facts, that Mr. Heyman’s conduct, while it may have been aggressive journalism, was not unlawful and did not violate the law with which he was charged,” a joint press release from the prosecutor’s office and Heyman’s legal team said.
He had been arrested for “willfully disrupting a State governmental process or meeting,” a misdemeanor. Heyman faced six months in prison if he was found guilty. He was released on the night of his arrest on $5,000 bail.
“Mr. Heyman certainly appreciates the State’s decision and affirmatively states that he was simply doing his job as a reporter by asking questions of a federal official as that official walked through the Capitol,” the statement said.
The arrest was widely condemned by advocates for press freedom and the right to report.
“This is a chilling attack on the right to report,” NewsGuild President Bernie Lunzer said at the time. “The arrest is part of a pattern of escalating attacks on the media since the Trump administration took office, which the union is determined to fight.”
Price refused to condemn the arrest, saying the West Virginia Capitol Police did “what they thought was appropriate.”
Heyman’s arrest was the first widely-known assault on press freedom during the Trump administration after Inauguration Day, when several journalists covering protests were charged.
Heyman’s arrest was quickly followed by other well-publicized attacks on reporters. NewsGuild member Ben Jacobs was body-slammed by Rep. Greg Gianforte on May 25, the eve his special-election victory in the race for Montana’s House seat. John M. Donnelly, a reporter for Congressional Quarterly, was “manhandled” and “pinned to a wall” by security guards after he attempted to question an FCC Commissioner after a public hearing on May 18.
Domestic Violence a Pre-Existing Condition?
Price was in Charleston on May 9 to meet with local and state officials and representatives of addiction treatment groups about the opioid crisis in the state.
Heyman repeatedly asked him whether domestic violence would be considered a pre-existing condition under the Republican health care bill, which had passed the House five days earlier. Before passage of the Affordable Care Act, in some cases being the victim of domestic violence was considered a pre-existing condition, Heyman said, and women who experienced it were denied health care coverage.
“I’m supposed to find out if someone is going to be affected by this health care law,” Heyman said after his arrest. “I think it’s a question that deserves to be answered. I think it’s my job to ask questions and I think it’s my job to try to get answers.”
Heyman was recording audio on his phone, which he reached out toward Price, past the secretary’s staffers, as he walked down the hall. He asked Price the question repeatedly but Price did not answer.
Heyman said he told police officers he was a reporter at the time of the arrest. He was wearing his press credentials over a shirt bearing the Public News Service’s insignia when he was charged with “willful disruption of state government processes.”
The West Virginia ACLU and numerous other organizations immediately denounced the arrest. “Today was a dark day for democracy,” the ACLU of West Virginia said on May 9. “But the rule of law will prevail. The First Amendment will prevail.”
Heyman has been a radio reporter since 2009 for Public News Service, which provides content to media outlets and publishes its own stories. Heyman has been a reporter for about 30 years, with his work appearing in the New York Times, NPR and other national news outlets.
2015-2019 Contract Posted on site
The 2015-2019 has finally been added to the web site under the documents tab.
Strong majority of VICE Canada workers vote to join Guild
After months of meetings, discussions, card signings and an official vote conducted by the federal labour board, it was confirmed this week that two thirds of VICE Canada workers chose to join the Canadian Media Guild (CMG).
“We are thrilled to welcome employees at VICE Canada” into the Guild, said President Carmel Smyth. “We look forward to working with them and one of Canada’s most innovative and exciting digital media organizations to create a positive workplace now and for the future.”
The new bargaining unit includes all VICE employees across Canada working in editorial, marketing, production and post-production, with the exception of managers and people working in sales. The Canadian Industrial Relations Board is expected to issue a formal bargaining certificate soon.
“I am so proud of our office for voting so strongly in favour of unionizing,” said one VICE Canada worker. (At 89 per cent, it was a very high voter turnout.) “There are amazing things about working at VICE, and I am confident that having a collective voice at the negotiating table will help protect the parts of our jobs that we love and help strengthen our position on the things that need to improve. Hopefully both the employees and management will look at this as a positive step forward.”
VICE Canada President Ryan Archibald said the company welcomed the CMG’s presence in the workplace.
“VICE Canada started as a six-person office above a coffee shop in Montreal. Today, we employ over 200 of the best minds in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. It goes without saying that I am enormously proud of what we have built here and support those employees who have voted to unionize and those who have not.”
“We have evolved to produce award-winning content and work with some of the most creative people in Canada,” said Archibald. “Today we offer competitive compensation, comprehensive benefits and the opportunity to participate in company equity. Through these steps and others, we will continue to do whatever it takes to draw and retain the next generation of talent.”
After choosing workplace representatives, the new VICE Canada union will start preparing for bargaining.
“I’m thrilled that VICE Canada employees have voted in favour of a union,” said another worker. “My colleagues are some of the most thoughtful and creative members of the industry, and together we make A-plus stuff. So, the fact that we’ve all come together to support a union drive means that we believe in working with management to improve working conditions for everyone.”
The CMG, CWA Canada’s largest Local, represents 6,000 media workers at major news organizations, including the CBC, Reuters and The Canadian Press.
VICE Canada includes a network of digital channels; a production studio; a magazine; an in-house creative services agency and a newly launched TV network in partnership with Rogers Communications called VICELAND. VICE Canada’s award-winning programming has been recognized by the Canadian Screen Association and the Webbys. VICE Canada is headquartered in Toronto with offices in Montreal and Vancouver.
Launched in 1994, VICE Media now operates in more than 30 countries and distributes its programming to hundreds of millions of viewers across digital, linear, mobile, film and socials.
– See more at: http://www.cwa-scacanada.ca/EN/news/2016/160603_vice_vote.shtml#sthash.4mGwSG6Y.dpuf
Hi there! Meet the Local Xpress
A few members of the Halifax Typographical Union’s newsroom unit on the picket line last week in Halifax. (CHRISTIAN LAFORCE)
Hello, world!
Welcome to the Local Xpress.
This is a brand-new online news site brought to you by the 61 striking newsroom and bureau staff of Canada’s largest independent daily newspaper. You can read about that here, here and here if you’re interested.
Since going on strike a week ago, we’ve missed the work that we do. Remo Zaccagna, who covers municipal politics, went to a Halifax regional council this week and live-tweeted the meeting on his own time. Provincial reporter Michael Gorman kept talking to sources and gathering material for stories. Frances Willick is working on a story you’ll see in the days to come. Two photographers raced to a fire, then posted photos and video on social media.
Clearly, we needed a bigger boat.
And having our own news site is an idea that we’d talked about for a little while. Today is our first offering and it took a week of work off and on (mostly on) to put together. We needed a few stories and some photos to start. Our web team learned a new publishing platform. We don’t have ads or any other revenue source, at least yet.
So, this is just a start. And if you need to get in touch with a news item, reach out at localxpresshfx@gmail.com
You’ll notice there are no sections yet on the site. We also won’t be covering everything. You won’t see news release rewrites from us or other stuff you’d get from larger newsrooms.
What we hope to bring you are stories and photos that you won’t find elsewhere. Or if you do see them elsewhere, we hope our stuff distinguishes itself by its quality and perspective.
And speaking of you, if you got this far in this little note, it’s likely that you’re one of the many people who’s been following us on social media or even dropped by our picket line with kind words and treats.
So to readers, this is a thank-you card. We didn’t know how much our work would be missed and we appreciate how loudly you’ve told us.
And to journalism, this is our love letter: Honey, we’re home.
P.S.: This first edition of the Xpress is dedicated to our families. It’s hard enough living with a journalist, let alone one who’s on strike. We love you more than you will ever know.
Liberals put halt to controversial finance disclosure rules for unions
Liberals have promised to repeal bill C-377, which passed Senate in June after bitter battle
Source: cbc.ca
Guardian US Votes Unanimously To Unionize
Source:huffingtonpost.com
Labor organizing is sweeping through newsrooms. So who’s next?
NEW YORK – The staff of the Guardian US voted unanimously Wednesday to unionize under the News Media Guild, an action that comes amid a spate of labor organizing in newsrooms.
“The Guardian has a long tradition of supporting union effort,” a spokeswoman for the Guardian US chapter of the News Media Guild said in an email to The Huffington Post.
“The move by Guardian US editorial staff to seek collective representation is consistent with the strong history of working in strong partnership with unions in the UK and Australia,” she continued. “The vote was unanimous and we look forward to working constructively with Guardian management moving forward.”
The Guardian, a British newspaper and widely read international news site, launched a New York-based US edition in 2011. Guardian US led the news organization’s reporting in 2013 on disclosures from National Security Administration whistleblower Edward Snowden, winning a Pulitzer Prize in Public Service the following year.
In a separate statement, Guardian US staff thanked new US editor Lee Glendinning for “immediately welcom[ing] our initiative to seek collective representation.”
“Our discussions with Guardian management have been conducted in a constructive manner and we’re confident we can all achieve our stated goal — a long-term, sustainable future for the Guardian and its quality journalism,” read the statement, which appears in full below.
The Guardian US’s move Wednesday comes as unionizing is increasingly discussed in newsrooms, especially as digital news sites without a legacy of collective bargaining have organized. Gawker voted to unionize in June and Salon announced plans to do so earlier this month.
On Tuesday, Mike Elk, a labor reporter at Politico who is trying to organize his own newsroom, broached the topic with Vermont senator and presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.
The NewsGuild, part of the Communications Workers of America (CWA), now represents over 2,000 digital workers at outlets such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Associated Press and The Daily Beast. The News Media Guild is the local chapter of the NewsGuild.
A NewsGuild-CWA spokeswoman told The Huffington Post the union is currently in active campaigns with other digital media organizations.
Union leaders praised the Guardian US’s organizing effort in statements Wednesday.
“The Guardian has a history of great reporting that continues today,” said Martha Waggoner, president of The News Media Guild, the local chapter that Guardian US staffers will join. “It’s a publication with a grand tradition of unionism that now includes its U.S. writers.”
Bernard Lunzer, president of The NewsGuild-CWA, said it’s “a big day not only for the writers and staff members at The Guardian US but for the news industry as a whole.”
“Digital media is growing up,” he continued, “and it’s time our digital reporters received the same benefits and protections as their print media colleagues.”
Here’s the full statement from the Guardian US chapter of the News Media Guild:
We are proud to announce that the editorial staff of Guardian US have voted unanimously in favor of collective representation under the auspices of the News Media Guild, following a ballot which was conducted independently by the American Arbitration Association. The union has been voluntarily recognized by Guardian News & Media LLC following the result of that ballot.
We would like to thank the News Media Guild and the Communications Workers of America for their invaluable help, advice and support. Furthermore, we greatly appreciate the support shown by our unionized editorial colleagues in the UK and Australia, where the Guardian has a strong history of working in partnership with its unions.
We are also grateful to the leadership shown by the Guardian US editor, Lee Glendinning, who immediately welcomed our initiative to seek collective representation. Our discussions with Guardian management have been conducted in a constructive manner and we’re confident we can all achieve our stated goal – a long-term, sustainable future for the Guardian and its quality journalism.
Guardian US is in the process of rapid growth, which has been reflected by increasing audience figures and groundbreaking journalism, from our Pulitzer prize-winning Edward Snowden disclosures to our current work highlighting police-related deaths through The Counted project. Together we look forward to continuing to enhance the Guardian’s reputation as one of the most read, most respected and most trusted news organisations in the US.
This article has been updated with statements from NewsGuild-CWA.
Hassan Yussuff elected new head of Canadian Labour Congress
Source: cbc.ca
The Canadian Labour Congress elected a new president for the first time in 15 years at its convention in Montreal on Thursday.
Hassan Yussuff defeated incumbent Ken Georgetti by 40 votes — 2,318 compared with 2,278 for Georgetti.
There were 29 spoiled ballots in the hotly contested election.
Georgetti, who was born in Trail, B.C., was first elected in 1999 and went on to become the labour group’s longest-serving president.
Postmedia and union talks break down over contracting out of printing
Source: thetyee.ca
Talks between the company that publishes the Vancouver Sun and Province and the union that represents their workers broke down after two days of negotiations earlier this month over contracting out of the printing of both newspapers.
That increases the likelihood of a labour dispute in a year’s time over Pacific Newspaper Group’s plan to have outside companies handle the printing.
“They can lock us out or we can go on strike,” said Unifor Local 2000 vice-president Gary Engler. “Of course, we have the right to picket and all of those sorts of things.”
Postmedia Network recently announced it will sell the Surrey property where its printing plant is located and either contract out the printing or build a new plant that would require fewer workers. The company imposed a Nov. 18 deadline for an agreement to be reached on staffing levels for a new plant, but a Unifor release called the company’s demands “too extreme” for the union to accept.
“Among other conditions, the company insists on the right to choose from among our current members as to who would be able to work at a new plant,” it stated. “It was estimated that only about one-quarter of our current Kennedy Heights members would be asked to work at the new facility.”
The union also claims the company offered far less severance pay for displaced press operators than it has offered its editorial and business staff under a Voluntary Staff Reduction Plan.
The collective agreement between Unifor and Postmedia’s subsidiary Pacific Newspaper Group expires on Nov. 30, 2014. Engler said the company suggested more talks in January, but the Unifor release called agreement “highly unlikely.” PNG announced it has already contracted with Transcontinental Printing to handle printing in the event that agreement cannot be reached with Unifor on staffing levels for a new plant.
Engler said the recent talks revealed that only the Sun would be printed at Transcontinental’s plant on Annacis Island, however, with another printing company handling the Province. The current collective agreement prevents contracting out, and its provisions would be extended under the B.C. Labour Code in the event of a strike or lockout.
“We know where the printing is going,” noted Engler. “Transcontinental is unionized as well. Where the Province is going is a non-union plant.”
Meanwhile, another large U.S. hedge fund has acquired a major ownership interest in Postmedia. Silver Point Capital recently bought a 19 per cent stake in the company, which makes it the second largest owner of Postmedia behind New York-based GoldenTree Asset Management, which owns about 35 per cent.
Canada’s largest chain of dailies, which was founded in the 19 century by the Southam family, was bought out of the bankruptcy of Canwest Global Communications in 2010 by a group of its creditors, with financial backing from several U.S. hedge funds.
Vancouver journalist Marc Edge is a frequent contributor to The Tyee.
– See more at: http://thetyee.ca/Blogs/TheHook/2013/11/26/Postmedia-Union-Talks/#sthash.4D7Zafpj.dpuf