The CMG recently ratified a collective agreement with their employer on behalf of its TVO Branch members. The agreement was achieved after months of negotiations and an 11-week strike that left both sides bruised.

About 10 weeks into the strike, TVO members on the bargaining committee asked for a voluntary severance package to be part of the deal. This was not part of the original ask, but the employer agreed to this request. This, and an additional $500 a year per employee for training in their field were the only monetary improvements to the deal previously rejected by the TVO membership.

This new offer was ratified by the membership and over thirteen TVO members, including the Branch’s president, vice-president, and secretary-treasurer—who were also members of the bargaining committee—signed up for the voluntary severance package and worked their last day at TVO on November 6th.

This voluntary severance package offered to all CMG’s TVO members the same severance they would have received had they been laid off and was especially attractive to anyone with many years of service, close to retirement or who wished to reorient their career. To say that all 13 members who chose to take the voluntary severance were “too angry to stay after the strike”, as stated in a recent publication, is a pure exaggeration and not factual.

We also do not agree with the statement made by TVO stating that those who left are not in line with TVO’s culture, we believe this comment was of poor choice given the fact we are committed to participating in workplace reparation meetings in the coming weeks.

Recent publications contained quotes attributed to our union that did not come from the CMG or any of its authorized representatives. We are committed to representing our members and to ensuring the improvement of the working conditions for CMG TVO Branch members as they head back to work with a new collective agreement.

The CMG will continue to defend the rights of its members at the TVO Branch and is committed to supporting them as they use the newly negotiated language to have regular meetings with the employer with the goal of improving labour relations and the workplace environment for all.

Please direct any questions to:

Annick R. Forest

President

Canadian Media Guild

604 968-3304