After nearly 25 years as Senior Staff Representative of the Canadian Media Guild, Dan Oldfield is retiring, effective December 31.
Dan, who began his CBC career in 1973 in the National Radio Newsroom, continued as a reporter in Regina and Whitehorse, then made the shift to being a union representative with what was then the Canadian Wire Service Guild in 1991. Since then, he led collective bargaining at CBC, Canadian Press, Reuters, Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, TVO and TFO. Many of those were first contracts; others were notoriously complex – including the talks that followed the merger of ACTRA, CUPE and Guild units at the CBC. That round of bargaining which started in 1994 and continued until 1996 was considered a win for a model of permanent jobs at the CBC. Dan led the bargaining team once again during the 2004-2005 talks at CBC that were resolved only after an eight-week lockout. Following those two difficult sessions, Dan came to embrace a model of relationship-building with CBC that he has tried to transmit to other employers – one that created a working culture between management and union that is based on discussion and respect more than conflict and heat.
“It’s impossible to measure Dan’s contribution to making the shift to a new and innovative form of bargaining at the CBC, and to the incredibly productive relationship that came out of it and remains until today. I will always be grateful for his counsel and will miss his crazy sense of humour. On behalf of all CMG members at CBC, and especially those he helped along the way, I wish Dan the best and well-deserved retirement. It’s been fun!” says Marc-Philippe Laurin, CMG President at CBC.
Throughout it all, Dan has been able to win over people on both sides of the table with his sense of humour, strategic approach and storytelling. The CMG has benefitted greatly from his years of solid advice and service and we wish him the best in his life away from contracts, grievances and arbitrations.
For any questions, please contact CMG at info@cmg.ca