National Observer staff officially unionized with CWA Canada
Staff at the National Observer became CWA Canada’s newest members Wednesday with the announcement that an application for union certification had been approved. The Canadian Media Guild (CWA Canada Local 30213) filed for certification with the Canada Industrial Relations Board in December after a strong majority of workers signed union cards. The daily news website, […]
BuzzFeed Canada staff file to unionize
TORONTO – Canadian staff at digital media company BuzzFeed have officially filed for union certification. The Canadian Media Guild (CMG), media union CWA Canada’s biggest local, is filing with the Ontario Labour Relations Board and the Canada Industrial Relations Board after a majority of the 10 BuzzFeed staff in Toronto signed union cards. The filing […]
VICE Canada employees have voted to unionize
Yesterday news broke that VICE Canada employees have voted in favour of joining the Canadian Media Guild. The labour board will soon issue a formal bargaining certificate. The bargaining unit will include all VICE employees across the country aside from managers and salespeople. Vice freelancers are invited to share their concerns about their working conditions […]
Vice freelancers: The CMG wants to hear from you
If you’re a regular freelancer for Vice Canada, the Canadian Media Guild would like to hear about your experiences and working conditions. CMG organizer Karen Wirsig is involved in the Vice Canada unionizing drive that began late last year. She says Vice employees have told her they’re concerned about how freelancers are treated by the company. […]
Vice Media workers of the world, unite! You have nothing to lose but your unicorn!
By Errol Salamon This post is the second in a series called “E-Lancer Writes,” exploring the working conditions, rights, and collective organizing strategies of freelance journalists, interns, and other low-wage or temporary digital media workers. Workers at Vice Media are leading efforts to unionize digital media workplaces. These efforts have spread internationally from the United […]
CMG launches union drive at Vice Canada
Young media workers have no problem understanding the benefits of unionization, say the organizers behind Vice Canada’s union drive. “Precarity of labour is a fact for most young people,” says Tannara Yelland, a former Vice employee who is currently working as a temporary organizer with the Canadian Media Guild. “When you work in media, even if you have […]
Digital newsrooms moving towards unionization
It’s been a big summer for unions and new media. The past few weeks have seen a string of stories about digital media workers organizing — employees at Gawker, Salon, Vice and The Guardian US have all voted to unionize since the beginning of June. This week, BuzzFeed’s Jonah Peretti told his employees that he doesn’t think unionizing would […]
Sara Steffens on the challenges and benefits of freelance organizing
by Rachel Sanders The world, it seems, is going freelance. With traditional media in a state of massive restructuring, there are more independent media workers than ever before. Freelance unions (such as our own CMG Freelance) are growing and expanding to provide advocacy and support to the growing freelance ranks. Sara Steffens has been on the front line of […]
Study this! Even more reasons to join a union, from a librarian
You’ve seen it here before. We’re not shy about our support for unions, and whether it’s the Born Freelancer explaining why unions are boss or a fun video from the Canadian Media Guild demonstrating the sticky situations that unprotected workers find themselves in, we’re glad to share. We can write about reasons to join a […]
Fun, retro-style video from CMG drives home reasons to join a union
For those not yet convinced, this video commissioned by the Canadian Media Guild/CWA Canada cheekily illustrates a few good reasons to join a union. Produced by MyFilm Productions, with music by Incompetech, the narrative centres on “Jenny,” who is excited to start her new job, only to discover that she was hired to replace a […]
