1) Make sure you’ve been hired properly. If you came on as a temporary employee, find out who you are replacing or what special event or project you’re working on. If you’re not replacing anyone and you’re not working on a special event or project (an ongoing show doesn’t count as a special event or project), get in touch with the Guild right away. If you’re a temporary, make sure you get a letter of engagement that details your start and end dates, how many days you work in a week, your job classification and the rate of pay. If you’re on contract, make sure to get a copy of your contract.
2) Make sure that you are scheduled properly. If you have little control over your schedule and have to meet daily deadlines, then you are daily assigned and should claim overtime if you work more than regular hours in the day. If you have to come in on certain days, but can control your hours on those days, you’re probably weekly scheduled and should claim overtime if you work longer than regular hours for the week. To find out the regular hours and rate of pay for your job, go to http://www.cmg.ca/CBCbranchannualsalariesEN.pdf .
3) Make sure you get put on the benefits plan if you’re hired for more than 13 weeks. And, if you were hired as a per-occasion temporary (sometimes called “casual”) and you have been working at least 4 days per week for more than 13 weeks, you should also be enrolled in the benefits plan. Benefits kick in for new employees after a 13-week waiting period.
4) Ask around for a Guild representative in your area and get a hold of a new member guide; you can find a list of Guild reps in each location at http://www.cmg.ca/cbcbranchcontacts.asp .
5) Fill out your union card, with an email address where we can keep in touch with you, and hand it back to a member of your local executive.
6) Check the union contract (“collective agreement”) for all the terms of employment at CBC, as negotiated between the Guild and CBC management in 2005. You can find it online at http://www.cmg.ca/CBCbranchcollagreement2004-9-EN.pdf .
If you are in Toronto, the Guild executive holds a brief orientation session for new members on the last Wednesday of every month in 6F301 at 10 am and 2 pm. The next session is Wednesday August 29. For more information, write to Jonathan Spence: jonathan@cmgtoronto.ca . Plan to attend !
The Guild has filed a number of grievances related to the treatment of new employees at CBC. For more information, visit our website at www.cmg.ca/cbcbranchhome.asp
If you have questions about anything in the workplace, we urge you to speak to someone from your local Guild executive. You can also get in touch with the national union office at 416-591-5333 or 1-800-465-4149 or by email at info@cmg.ca .