CMG’s bargaining committee at APTN is reluctantly asking members of the editorial unit to vote on the employer’s last contract offer. The proposal offers some minor improvements in contract language and includes a 2% wage increase each year over the five-year deal, which would be retroactive to April 25, 2006.

The CMG bargaining committee is not recommending the offer but wants to give members the opportunity to talk about it and express their opinion.

“The offer of 10% over five years is less than we think is fair,” says Dan Oldfield, chief negotiator for the Guild. “We believe something closer to 13% over five years, which is what employees at CBC recently negotiated, is much more representative of increases in the industry.”

Bargaining at APTN began last April and Guild members voted in favour of a strike mandate in December. A work stoppage is still a possibility; however, the committee felt that the membership should have the chance to vote on the offer before any other type of action is taken.

A conference call open to all members will be held to tonight beginning at 8pm ET. Details on how to participate in the call will follow shortly. Voting on the company offer will take place by phone and is tentatively scheduled for Thursday January 25.

Your bargaining committee

Greg Taylor
Cheryl McKenzie
Bruce Spence
Dan Oldfield
Dan Zeidler