Earlier today, CMG staff representative Keith Maskell and I met with Paul Robertson and Carol Darling. The meeting follows up on a request we initially made in early May. The goal wasn’t to negotiate – we’ll leave that to the full bargaining teams – but to make sure that the leadership of the company has a clear idea of what the members of our bargaining unit need.

During the meeting, both sides talked about their views on some of the issues that remain on the table. We also all talked about our shared goal of achieving a deal that’s fair to both sides. There were no real breakthroughs, but it’s probably fair to say that we all have a better idea now of where we might be able to go.

There’s another piece of news to share: our grievance on the issue of below-scale salaries for a group of employees has been resolved to the satisfaction of both sides.

Your bargaining committee will be meeting the Shaw committee, along with federal conciliation officer Jennifer Webster, starting on Wednesday morning. We’ll keep you posted on developments.

Mike Duong
Shaw Media Branch President, CMG