Events Calendar

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Next Executive Board Meeting

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

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Next General Membership Meeting

TBA

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Elections

Ever felt like you were destined to serve a higher purpose? Ever wanted to travel to exotic locations such as Cornwall, Saskatoon and Halifax? Do you enjoy talking at length with management and fighting the good fight?

Currently our local is accepting nominations for the positions of President, Treasurer and Steward.

If you are interested in becoming the President or Treasurer, please complete the Officer Nomination Form. You will require a nominator plus 15 signatures from any member of the local. Both of these positions are for a 2-year term starting July 1st.

If you think you can better serve your fellow brothers and sisters as a Steward, please complete the Steward Nomination Form. You will need a nominator and 3 signatures from members of the steward group you want to represent. Click Here to see a list of the steward groups that need representation.

Steward Nomination Form
Officer Nomination Form

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Finance Committee

Looking for Volunteers

Our Finance Committee, headed by Treasurer Jeanine Appleton-Bott, is seeking your participation. If you would like to share your financial knowledge and opinions on how our local's defence fund should be invested, this is the committee for you!

For more information on the finance committee, check out article 8.3.1 in the current by-laws.

If you are interested in participating, please email us at mail@ceplocal723m.com

Too much debt in Canwest deal: CEP

May 26, 2010

OTTAWA -- The sale of Canwest’s newspapers, approved in principle last week by a bankruptcy judge in Toronto, to an ad hoc committee of bondholders, mostly based in the USA, does little to reassure 1,700 members of Canada’s largest media union who work for the chain. “In fact this proposed sale under the creditor protection process may be no solution at all to the debt woes that got Canwest into bankruptcy protection in the first place,” says Peter Murdoch, Vice-President, Media, of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada.

Under the deal, the new company will be saddled with $700 million in loans from US banks. Plus there are other credit arrangements with US hedge funds that will raise the debt load higher.

Murdoch points to media reports that a $400 million loan being used to partially finance the purchase will pay extremely high interest rates, in effect replacing debt that got Canwest into trouble with another mess of junk bonds.

“It doesn’t add up,” he says. “Torstar, with over a hundred years in this business, thought Canwest papers were worth $800 million, but financiers with no newspaper experience will pay $1.1 billion. We fear our members, other employees and the Canadians who rely on these newspapers to keep them informed will ultimately pay the price of yet more financial risk taking.

“And we have laws in place to protect Canadian ownership of critical cultural industries, including newspapers. Can the laws simply be ignored because the current government doesn’t believe in them?

“This proposed sale seems to satisfy the self-interest of banks, Wall Street hedge funds and other creditors, but what about the journalists, sales staff, press operators and others who will be left working for a company that still has very high debt levels and is controlled by Wall Street hedge funds?”

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Rogers Memorandum Ratified

April 24, 2010

Members of Local 723M-Rogers Unit who work for Rogers Media Television (CityTv/Omni) have accepted the Memorandum of agreement dated April 17th, 2010. The vote was close.

The Memorandum of Agreement was approved by 57.94% of voting members.

The Collective Agreement which expired Oct. 31, 2009 is renewed and extended until Oct. 31, 2012. A copy of the Memorandum is available here for Rogers Members

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CRTC "Saves Local Television" but fails to "Stop the TV Tax"

March 22, 2010

Evil genius logic at CRTC

Cable customers could see $10 monthly increase following CRTC decision

Canadians can afford rise in TV fees: CRTC

CRTC ruling fails to clear static over who pays for local TV

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Employers’ union-bashing tactics lead to automatic certification

March 12, 2010

Toronto - The Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB) issued an important and far-reaching decision that may fundamentally change the approach employers in Ontario take to future union organizing drives.

In its March 3rd decision, the OLRB ordered automatic certification of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada after finding that the employer, Boehmer Box LP of Kitchener, threatened its employees during a CEP organizing drive, in May 2008, by directly and indirectly linking unionization with risks of plant closure and job loss.

CEP’s case to the OLRB focused primarily on a series of union-bashing letters distributed by the employer in the days leading up to the representation vote.

The OLRB concluded that, as a result of the employer’s misconduct, the true wishes of the employees were not likely reflected in the unsuccessful representation vote conducted on May 15, 2008. The OLRB further concluded that any other potential remedies to this violation of the Act including ordering a second representation vote, would not be sufficient to counter the effects of the employer’s misconduct.

“This is a victory for the employees of Boehmer Box and for workers throughout Ontario who should be allowed to choose to form a union in their workplace free from employer threats, intimidation and coercion,” says Ontario Region Administrative Vice-President Kim Ginter.

“Since the mid 1990s when the Mike Harris Conservatives declared war on workers and labour laws in Ontario, employers have become more and more outrageous in their attacks on employees attempting to unionize,” says Ginter. “This decision makes it clear to employers that they can no longer cross the line and threaten the economic livelihood of their workers in order to prevent them from freely choosing for themselves, whether they wish to be represented by a union in their workplace”.

Visit www.cep.ca to read the OLRB decision.

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Hearing Needed Into CITY-TV Local News Cuts

January 22, 2010

Ottawa - Canada's largest media union is asking whether the silence from the CRTC about the latest shutdown of local news at CITY television stations is the result of Heritage Minister James Moore muzzling the CRTC.

"Despite Canadians' overwhelming demonstration in the past several months of the importance of local news to their daily lives, the CRTC and the Harper government have been alarmingly tight-lipped about this drastic cut in local coverage," says Peter Murdoch, Vice-President Media for CEP, Canada's largest media union.

When Rogers bought the City stations in 2007, the billion-dollar media giant told the CRTC it supported the stations' "distinctive local programming." But now, just two years later, it has slashed local newscasts and laid off employees, despite the fact that from 2008 to 2009, local advertising revenues on Rogers' television stations jumped 41%  - an amazing increase in the middle of a recession.

"While the Tories absent themselves from Parliament, big lobbyists like Rogers are given free rein to duck their promises to Canadians. And it appears the CRTC, Canada's broadcast regulator, has been told to go on vacation as well."

Murdoch says the CRTC should immediately conduct a hearing into the news cuts and if the Harper government didn't want to avoid Parliament, MPs on the Heritage Committee should be calling Rogers to task as well.

"There is something terribly wrong when a giant media company pays its Blue Jays baseball outfielder, $126 million and then cuts local news to save money. Shameful. Who is looking out for the interests of Canadians in this vital industry?" 

More Information - Peter Murdoch at 613-230-5200

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Notice to Members

Re: Rogers layoffs

Rogers’ Broadcasting Limited, Television Division implemented layoffs to twenty-nine full-time and seven part-time members on Tuesday, January 19, 2010. In addition seven “on air” reporters have also been laid off.

The Company said the layoffs were as a result of a slow economic recovery and poor ratings for some of its news programming. Management at Citytv Toronto has implemented a cut of 14 ½ hours of local news programming per week including the daily; news at noon, 5 p.m. news, and Citytv International. In addition weekend newscasts at 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. have also been cut.

Employees in seven classifications including; Director, PA, Live Eye, ENG Camera, ENG Editor, Writer, and Electronic and Weather Graphics were affected. Two employees assigned to Omni Television also received layoff notices.

The notices were delivered to the junior employees in affected classifications who will have the option to accept layoff or bump junior employees in other classifications. In addition management has said it would accept volunteers in affected classifications who would not otherwise receive a notice but who could save a junior employee from layoff.

Since the deadline for bumping decisions is Thursday, January 21, at 5 p.m. volunteers will have to be identified quickly to avoid unnecessary displacement.

Collective Bargaining has been put on hold while the layoffs are conducted. Members of the Local Bargaining Committee were released to provide assistance and support to laid off members and members with layoff questions.

The Local has rented a meeting room at the Bond Place Hotel, next to Dundas Square, at 65 Dundas Street East to provide members with support. The meeting space will be open to members on Wednesday, January 20^th from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Lunch provided.

In solidarity,

Local Executive Board

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Vacation notice not intended for Union members

Vacation Accruals –  Management at Rogers’ Television has confirmed that the notice to all employees dated December 18, 2009 does not apply to members of Local 723M.  The notice stated that employees could only carry over a maximum of five days earned vacation into 2010 and the rest would be forfeit.  Wayne Smith, Rogers’ Director Human Resources, says the notice was not intended for Union employees. 

The Company can encourage employees to take their unused vacation, and if necessary, schedule an employee on vacation pursuant to Article 13.1.5 upon two weeks advance notice.  Under no circumstances can an employer “delete” or allow an employee’s earned entitlement to be “forfeit” as this would be a violation of the Collective Agreement, and also, violate Section 185 of the Canada Labour Code:

• 185.The employer of an employee who under this Division has become entitled to a vacation with vacation pay.
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• (a) shall grant to the employee the vacation to which the employee is entitled, which shall begin not later than ten months immediately following the completion of the year of employment for which the employee became entitled to the vacation; and
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• (b) shall, at such time as is prescribed by the regulations, pay to the employee the vacation pay to which the employee is entitled in respect of that vacation.

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Complaint filed with CIRB

CEP has filed a bad faith bargaining complaint against Rogers’ Broadcasting Limited over its announcement that it would unilaterally change the terms of employee benefit plans effective January 1, 2010.  Rogers’ sent a letter to all Omni employees at the end of November detailing changes in health benefits.  The Union asked the Company not to implement any changes as benefits are part of the Union’s bargaining agenda.   Under the Canada Labour Code once notice to bargain has been given the Company may not change terms and conditions of employment without the agreement of the Union.  On December 15, 2008 Roger’s signed an agreement with CEP stating that it would not change employee benefits pending renegotiation of the Collective Agreement.  Citytv employees continue to be covered under the terms of the former ‘CHUM’ benefit plan.

  

CTV Ltd. Sale of DIC and Sex-Tv to Corus Entertainment

The Company's sale of DIC and Sex-TV to Corus Entertainment will not involve the transfer of any unionized staff.  The Union had been informed of the transaction but was asked to keep it confidential.  
The Company has committed to reassign the affected employees to other work and it has committed that no bargaining unit positions will be cut because of the sale
to Corus.  
The Company has stated that the sale of DIC and Sex-TV provides some badly need revenue which will help stabilize the Company's finances.  It may take six months to get CRTC approval for the sale and transfer of assets.  
Until then CTV Limited will continue to operate the channels.

 

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