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Branch Quarters
Returning to the office
Edition #5
Spring 2022
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Spotlight
> Returning to the office – or maybe you never left
Let’s welcome this respite – the feeling, after two years, that just maybe, we can get out without too much worry. Or perhaps join friends from work to celebrate a birthday, a retirement, a wedding or any other gathering.
On the work front, the CBC has made it clear they want everyone back in the office, unveiling their plan last week. While we support a return-to-normal environment, many CMG members have been working under various arrangements for two years, including work from home.
We continue to urge the corporation to be flexible and acknowledge that, as the last two years have shown, quality work can be successfully achieved regardless of where your workspace is.
The union is also pressing management to clarify under what circumstances members will be authorized to maintain a remote working arrangement. So far, we’ve been given no indication that management decisions on these matters will be anything but arbitrary and selective.
We have reviewed the “teleworking” agreement the corporation wants people to sign. The union is asking management to clarify the issue of members’ personal liability in the agreement. In the meantime, we advise everyone to consult your regional CMG staff representative before signing off on anything.
More
> Wages
We’ve been in talks with CBC about wages, and will update you soon.
With rising prices at the gas pumps, the grocery store and everywhere else, I’ve asked the corporation and Heritage Minister, Pablo Rodriguez, to consider these impacts as the yearly allocation to CBC/Radio Canada is determined from the federal Treasury Board.
CBC/Radio-Canada has benefitted from increased digital advertising revenue during the pandemic, and we ask that it recognize our members’ work by offering a fair pay raise.
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Happenings
> Comings and goings
We welcome three new colleagues to national joint committees:
Eddyson Chery (Ottawa) joins Heather Barrette (St. John’s) and Mike Hillman (Vancouver) on the National Joint Performance and Development Dialogue Committee (PDD).
Olivia Adlaka (Port Caledonia NS) and Cathy Browne (Vancouver) to the Joint Employment Equity Committee (JEED/JEDI) joining co-chair Saïda Ouchaou-Ozarowski (Toronto), Adrian Harewood (Ottawa), and Khaleel Mohammed (Toronto).
See all CBC Branch committees here
A warm thank-you to past CMG members who have decided to leave the corporation for other opportunities:
Trent Peppler – Regina CMG activist
Deborah Barkin – Ottawa CMG activist
We also say goodbye to our retiring CMG colleagues from across Canada.
Introducing Tali Zrehen – the new Executive Director at CMG:
Tali has extensive labour and management experience and is tasked with managing our Toronto office, CMG employees, and helping us navigate difficult files.
> Supplementary Health Care Fund – update
We had two days of arbitration in February over the 2009 Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on the Supplementary Health Care Fund and Pension Surplus Sharing Agreement.
Our position is that the MOA is still valid, and so is the pension surplus sharing agreement. Under the MOA, .01% of your pay increases in each year over a ten-year period was diverted to a Health Care Fund.
Until the CBC decided to arbitrarily terminate the agreement at the end of 2019, we had oversight of the multi-million-dollar fund. Now we don’t. That’s why we’re in arbitration.
We’re working to get more dates in April and will keep you updated on developments.
> Special Assistance Fund
The SAF supports members dealing with medical expenses for themselves or their dependents not covered by the public healthcare system or the benefits plan of the CBC.
Examples of medical procedures covered by the SAF are hearing aids, mobility devices, IVF procedures, addiction treatment. Any member can submit an application for these expenses.
The guidelines and process will be available on iO. Please contact CMG rep Olivier Desharnais-Roy (olivier@cmg.ca) for more information.
> Help for Ukraine
The Guild and our parent union CWA Canada have donated funds in aid to the Ukrainian Journalists Union, via the International Federation of Journalists safety fund .
As well, our union made a donation to an Afghan “fixer” who worked with CBC members in Afghanistan.
Upcoming
> Training
- Know Your Rights as a Temporary Worker at CBC – April 8, 2022
Sign up here
- Conflict resolution – May 19 (French) and May 20 (English)
- Second Bystander training session – Watch for details
> Branch Executive Committee meetings
- The CMG-CBC Branch executive committee (BEC) will meet in Winnipeg March 25-26. We are looking forward to meeting as many members as possible in the location.
- The biennial CBC Branch Presidents’ Council will be held May 27-28 in Toronto
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