Summer is finally here, and so are the lingering questions about how the new workplace will look and function as we make our way into fall. Our members who worked from home during the course of the pandemic proved it could be done, however in many cases that meant others had to assume additional work. With that in mind, our union continues to support those who wish to work remotely, while ensuring the concerns of members who worked inside the station the entire time are taken into account.

Petition – Solid Support
Thanks to so many of you who signed our petition urging CBC to do better.
The strong membership endorsement came from coast to coast to coast and covered every work category we represent. Because so many temporary employees feared retribution if their names were given to CBC management, we decided to keep names and locations confidential, known only to CMG. I gave the petition directly to CBC president Catherine Tait in early June, with the confidence our membership is united in asking for fair compensation, recognition for sacrifices made during the pandemic, and equitable handling of the pension surplus. We will continue to update you on developments on these issues.

Presidents’ Council Toronto 2022

 

 

 

 

For the first time since 2019, local Presidents and delegates gathered non-virtually (a.k.a. in person) in Toronto to discuss common areas of concern, and to share ideas about future directions. It was encouraging to hear about so many ways local executives worked to engage members over the past two plus years. It hasn’t been easy. We spent a lot of time talking about ways to bring members back together, and what the pandemic has taught us about priorities leading up to the next round of contract negotiations, which will begin late 2023.

Before we get there, a new bargaining team must be appointed in the spring. Priorities already identified include better wages, stronger language around teleworking and conversion of temporary employees to full time status.

 

 

 

 

 

Pension surplus
Despite our numerous appeals, CBC is refusing to share a portion of the pension surplus with CBC unions and retirees. We continue to pursue this through an arbitration of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signed by unions at CBC with the corporation in 2009 which identifies a pension surplus sharing formula.
This is a lengthy and expensive process which could have been avoided by the willingness of the corporation to recognize the MOA as still being in effect, and not expired. In the meantime, CBC is taking a pension “holiday” and using $40 million from the surplus for unspecified programming. We have also brought this problem up at our discussions with decision makers at the federal level.

Temporary Employees’ Long-Service Awards
Do you know that some of our temporary employee members have been “temporary” for almost two decades? With that in mind – we held our CMG virtual awards presentation in June, honouring 12 of our most long serving temporary employee members. The awards are meant to recognize the contribution made by temporary employees, and highlight the major issue of precariousness at CBC, including the impact on the temporary workers personally, and on all members at CBC and on the work of the public broadcaster, not to mention the absurdity of having members with so many years of service and experience still with “temporary” job status.
More

Maintenance and IT review
CBC has informed us that it now won’t respond definitively to the ongoing Maintenance and IT compensation review until this fall. This comes after a meeting in May when CBC committed to respond within two weeks. They now want to take the summer to a comprehensive analysis of the information we provided.

CBC License renewal – CRTC
In a stark reversal of decades of support for mandated hours of news production, the CRTC announced in June it will allow the public broadcaster to cut back on television news programming.
Many fear the decision could lead to CBC cancelling television newscasts. The CRTC cites the range of other options available in metropolitan areas as a reason for the change. The decision was contentious even at the CRTC, where it was supported by three of five commissioners, with the two dissenting commissioners submitting strong arguments opposing it. CMG calls the decision unreasonable. We are assessing next steps.

The union was also disappointed the CRTC’s ruling on identifying sponsored content is not strong enough.
The decision included several issues the union has strongly advocated for, including promoting diversity and inclusion in hiring and programming.
More

Education
Coming your way this fall – a new virtual course focusing on Conflict Resolution. It’s designed to help you navigate tricky situations in the workplace. We’ll also have more sessions for temporary employees, and general information to learn about our collective agreement. And we will continue to offer education to foster better understanding of diversity and inclusion.

Hot dogs, ice cream and baseball!
The return of the summer ice-cream truck in Toronto, a hot dog cart in Edmonton, and free baseball nights in Ottawa and Vancouver are just some of the ways local units across the country are reacquainting themselves with their membership. Everyone enjoy the return to (sort of) normal!

Contacts
Kim Trynacity
CBC/Radio-Canada Branch President, CMG
(kimtrynacitycmg@gmail.com)
CBC Branch Executive Council
CMG staff and offices