The Canadian Media Guild is holding a couple of free evening workshops in February in downtown Toronto for people working in factual TV:

Getting treated fairly at work
Wednesday February 5, 5:30 pm
Hyatt Regency Hotel (370 King St. West, at Peter St.), Toronto

This free two-hour workshop will provide people who work in Canada’s factual TV industry with info they need to get treated fairly at work. The workshop aims to answer questions such as “Is there a limit to the hours they can ask me to work?” “Should I be getting paid for overtime?” “Should I be hired as an employee or a freelancer?”, “What happens if I get hurt on the job?”, “Do I have any protection from intimidation?” “How can I address problems without getting fired or blacklisted?”

Getting a fair contract for your factual TV gig
Wednesday February 26, 5:30 pm
Hyatt Regency Hotel (370 King St. West, at Peter St.), Toronto

This free two-hour workshop will provide people who work in Canada’s factual TV industry with info they can use to negotiate better contracts with producers. The workshop will provide tips on getting a written contract before you start work; the kinds of clauses you should shoot for if you’re hired as an employee; the kinds of clauses you should shoot for if you’re engaged as an independent contractor; the kinds of clauses you should avoid like the plague. We’ll cover issues such as pay, expenses, liability, notice of cancellation and defining the work you’re expected to perform.

To sign up for a workshop, please write to Karen Wirsig at the Canadian Media Guild: karen@cmg.ca or call 416-591-5333, ext. 222. Please specify whether you would like to attend one – and name the one – or both of the workshops. Seating is limited so please get in touch as soon as possible.