The strikers at MBS Radio in Saint John, New Brunswick, are preparing to spend their second Christmas on the picket line. Christmas Day marks 18 months that the strikers have been on the street trying to bargain a fair wage and first collective agreement with Robert Pace, owner of Maritime Broadcasting Systems (MBS) and vice-chair of Canadian National Railways.
Mr. Pace is a well-connected businessman who operates a chain of radio stations across the Maritimes. The strikers want the public to be aware of what they earn compared with Mr. Pace, who enjoys a patronage appointment to Canadian National Railways, sits on numerous other boards throughout the country, and takes in significant MBS earnings.
The Canadian Media Guild, the union representing the strikers, has asked the federal labour board for help to resolve the strike. The salary increases that the strikers are seeking would be the first in over a decade and represent a small portion of Pace’s income.
For more information, contact Gary Stackhouse, president of the CMG at MBS in Saint John, at 506-645-0750 or by email at gary550@hotmail.com.