A-Infos (en) First St. catharines ... now Canaadian Press/Broadcast News

[Saul Chernos <schernos@freenet.toronto.on.ca>]

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First The St. Catharines Standard.
Now The Canadian press and Broadcast News are poised to strike. Read on:
Forwarded by 
Saul Chernos
schernos@torfree.net

STRIKE LOOMS AS UNIONIZED EMPLOYEES AT THE CANADIAN PRESS AND
BROADCAST NEWS REJECT OFFER 

TORONTO, May 22 /CNW/ - The 300 unionized employees of The Canadian Press
and Broadcast News are headed toward a strike/lockout position after 63 per
cent voted to reject the company's settlement offer. In January, members gave
the bargaining committee an overwhelming strike mandate.

``All through this process, we've been trying to impress on management
that employees are angry at the way they've been treated in this round.
Perhaps that message will finally get through,'' said Colin Perkel, a member
of the committee that has been bargaining with the country's national news
agency since December.

The main issues in the dispute for the members of the Canadian Media
Guild at CP/BN, whose wages have been frozen for five of the past six years,
are money, the use of part-timers and temporaries, and work load. The Guild
represents journalists, administrative, technical and support staff at the
news agency.

Eighty per cent of the members turned out to vote on the company's offer
of a three-year deal with increases of 1.5% on Jan. 1, 1998, another 1.0 per
cent on signing, 2.0% Jan 1, 1999, 1.5% Jan. 1, 2000 and 1.0% July 1, 2000.
The company also offered a signing bonus of 2.0 per cent of annual salary.

The Guild's last position called for increases of 4.75% in the first year
and a further 3.0% in the second.

``The company's offer and bargaining strategy borders on contempt for its
employees,'' said national CMG representative Kathy Viner, who noted that the
union made no progress at all in having important non-monetary issues
addressed.

``It fails to take into account the crucial role that our members have
played in helping CP/BN survive when it appeared the company would fold two
years ago. It fails to take into account that these are among the
hardest-working, most efficient group of employees anywhere. They are the
backbone of this country's news flow and deserve to be properly compensated,
to be given some respect.''

The top minimum rate for reporter-editors with five years experience is
now $1,033 a week, below a dozen of the country's dailies ranging from the
Globe and Mail to the Winnipeg Free Press.

Unionized employees were expected to be in a strike/lockout position
within a few weeks. ``We plan to set a strike deadline as soon as possible,''
said Viner. ``In the interim, we're prepared to return to the table at any
time if the company is willing to bargain a fair and equitable collective
agreement.''

A strike at the Canadian Press and Broadcast News would disrupt
round-the-clock news, sports, business and other information to about 100
newspapers, 450 radio, television and cable outlets, online services and
government and commercial clients across the country.

For further information: 
Kathy Viner, CMG Staff Representative, (416) 591-5333
Scott Edmonds, CMG Vice-President, (204) 988-1780

CANADIAN MEDIA GUILD has 3 releases in this database.


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