Labour Day Message from CMG President Carmel Smyth
Dear fellow CMG members,
We are in the midst of an extraordinary moment of heightened awareness of both public health, and major issues within our industry and our society.
The challenges have been immense. Media workers continue to do their jobs, engaging with the public and newsmakers to deliver vital news and information during a pandemic, and doing exemplary work despite real fears for personal safety and the safety of loved ones. Some of our co-workers have had to deal with the added burden of losing their jobs or their shifts. And there is mounting anxiety caused by significant changes on how we do our work, while also putting our families and communities first in this public health crisis.
Your resourcefulness, determination, and support for one another have been crucial in these very challenging times, and are greatly appreciated. Our union will continue to work with employers to understand and mitigate the difficulties for those working from home and for our co-workers who continue to work in the field or in our changed workplaces.
Through this unexpected crisis, we have been faced with a real and pressing human rights reckoning. Demonstrations and protests across the country have brought anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism to the fore, and many of our co-workers have bravely shared accounts of the numerous, and hurtful ways in which our business has failed media workers who are Black, Indigenous and People of Colour.
The ongoing national discussion on systemic racism has revealed how much work we still have to do. We are all being called upon to do our part, as co-workers and as union members. CMG will continue to pursue tangible measures, and to work with employers, to help bring about much-needed change.
Without the fanfare of parades and community events, this Labour Day will be quieter than usual. But it can be an opportunity to reflect and remind ourselves that our solidarity, as union members, has always been our strength. This moment demands a deep commitment to solidarity, and the decisions we make together will resonate for generations to come.
Carmel Smyth
President, Canadian Media Guild
Labour Day Message from CWA Canada President Martin O’Hanlon
Dear fellow CWA Canada members,
For the first time in memory, we will not be marching this Labour Day.
But we will not be silent.
As we mourn our fellow media workers and the many others who have lost their lives due to the pandemic, we will pay tribute to those who continue to provide vital news and information, often risking their own health to do so.
We will shout to defend quality jobs, quality journalism, a vibrant free press, a strong, independent labour movement and to demand racial, economic and social equality.
Unfortunately, many regimes around the world are using the pandemic as yet another excuse to crack down of press freedom, labour unions, and democracy.
And the struggle for equality continues, reinvigorated by the Black Lives Matter movement.
This Labour Day, we vow to keep up the fight against injustice of all kinds:
-We will publicly call out governments and bad actors to embarrass them into behaving better.
-We will use social media to educate and rally the public by sharing information about fake news, disinformation, and hate, while promoting trusted, reliable news sources.
-We will support Black Lives Matter and other movements fighting for equality.
-And we will push for sanctions against leaders and politicians around the world who attack press freedom — block key politicians and officials from travelling abroad and seize their foreign assets and see how quickly things change.
This weekend, please stand with us, pledge your support in the fight for justice, and take a moment to think about what you can do to help.
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Find out more:
Virus affects media outlets including La Presse canadienne
Short-term layoff at ZoomerMedia – CMG members continue to stand together
Union members stand together during painful layoffs at Vice