CMG members at The Canadian Press and Pagemasters North America will vote June 25 and 26 on whether to increase the honorarium for the president of the CP Branch Executive Council.

At a meeting of the BEC held May 2, a resolution was passed approving a $2,000 annual honorarium for the branch president, in recognition of the responsibilities attached to the job and the number of hours spent on Guild work outside of regular working hours. This would be in addition to the $1,000 honorarium already paid by the national union. A “yes” vote would therefore mean a total honorarium of $3,000 per year, retroactive to Jan. 1, 2013. A “no” vote would keep the amount at $1,000 per year.

Where does the money come from? 

Each year the branches are allocated a portion of the Guild’s national budget. For example, for 2013 the CP branch budget was approximately $30,000. The new $2,000 honorarium would become a line item on this budget.

Each location unit also receives a percentage of the dues that its members pay. The result of the referendum won’t change the location unit allocation in any way.

Do other branch presidents receive an honorarium?

All but one of the other branch presidents receives a $1,000 honorarium for being on the National Executive Committee (NEC). The CBC Branch President is released from work on a full-time basis and draws a full salary, as does the Guild’s national president.

How do I vote?

We will be using the same online voting system we have used for the past several years. Click here to vote from 9 a.m. ET June 25 until 7 p.m. ET June 26.

You’ll need to know your nine-digit CMG identification number. If you don’t know yours or if you’ve lost your CMG wallet card, please write to vote@cmg.ca<mailto:vote@cmg.ca> right away and we’ll send you your number.

Results will be communicated as soon as possible after the close of our virtual ballot box.

Any other questions?

If you have questions or concerns, please speak to your location unit president or contact CMG staff rep Keith Maskell at keith@cmg.ca<mailto:keith@cmg.ca>.