To be or not to be (in a union), that is the question
This series of posts by the Born Freelancer will share personal experiences and thoughts on issues relevant to freelancers. Have something to add to the conversation? Your input is welcome in the comments. “I wouldn’t belong to any club that would have me as a member” — attributed to Groucho Marx I usually feel the […]
Au revoir, Rue Frontenac?
Rue Frontenac launched in winter 2009 as website for locked-out workers at the Journal de Montreal, offering union information on the conflict between the paper and its unionized workers that began in January 2009. The site also posts general news, offering those locked-out journalists an outlet for their work. A print edition of Rue […]
May Day event: Screenings of two silent films about labour
What better way to mark May Day this year than with two classic silent films about labour struggles? At the Revue Cinema, Silent Toronto presents Sergei Eisenstein’s Strike (1921), to be preceded by Charlie Chaplin’s short film Work (1915); both films will feature live piano accompaniment by William O’Meara. The event is part of the […]
Freelance court interpreters consider unionizing
Ottawa-area freelance court interpreters, who provide an essential service in court cases involving non-English-speaking individuals, are continuing a work stoppage that began in February and are considering joining a union, according to this story from the Lawyers Weekly. Those involved in the group action, with the backing of the Court Interpreters Association of Ontario, are […]
Union asks freelancers to stand with Metroland staffers
Metroland newspapers in the Ottawa area are running ads looking for freelancers to fill the pages of its newspapers, as staff reporters at the Kanata Kourier-Standard, Ottawa This Week and other Metroland papers enter their first negotiations to establish a union.
US reality TV freelancers joining union
Freelance writers and producers, some of whom have worked for the same production company for years without benefits and paid overtime, have begun joining the Writers’ Guild of America, East. An article posted at truthout.org describes why 150 freelancers who work for two different New York City production companies – Atlas Media and ITV Studios – […]
