We’ve talked with many Guild members at CP over the last week or so and will return to the bargaining table Monday with a strong message:

– The ownership group’s demand for a huge wage cut is not only unacceptable, it is an insult after years of sacrifice and increasing workloads. We’re not interested in going back to 2006-era salaries.
– Two-tier pay scales, with permanently lower scales for new hires, are not on. They’re not fair, would lead to conflict in busy newsrooms and undermine the collaboration necessary to produce quality content.
– We are not interested in turning the millions of dollars we loaned to the company to keep the pension plan alive into a gift to the new ownership group.
– We flatly reject any suggestion that employees have to choose between job cuts and wage cuts. The owners are threatening to cut jobs no matter what and that decision is fully within their power. Cutting our wages may improve their bottom line but does not guarantee jobs won’t be cut.

The company’s proposals would have a cumulative negative impact on how The Canadian Press operates. Asking staff who are already working all-out to do even more work for less money will undermine morale and the quality of the content we produce. We know this. The owners don’t appear to get the connection. Their focus on the short-term bottom line is unrealistic.

We all appreciate the financial challenges The Canadian Press is facing and we are willing to help to the extent we can. But having us – the people who do the work – carry the burden of the transition to a for-profit company isn’t fair or reasonable.

We have given the company a package with both concrete proposals and issues we would like to discuss further in order to come up with something that works for both sides and for the long-term health of The Canadian Press. We’re not asking for the moon. We are asking that employees be respected as an essential partner in the long-term success of the company.

Thank you for your engagement in the process so far. Let’s keep working together to secure a fair deal and a real future for our work.

Your bargaining committee:
Terry Pedwell
John Cotter
Ross Marowits
Craig Wong
Keith Maskell, CMG staff representative