09 May 2005
News media ethics, CWA strike pay
dominate
Sector meeting agenda
VICTORIA — Ethics and strike
pay were on the agenda this year at the Sector Conference
of The Newspaper Guild/Communications Workers of America,
held May 5-8.
The Sector Executive Council presented a draft set of principles
for media employees and their employers, designed to help
ensure people receive fair and balanced news when they buy
a newspaper, listen to their radio or watch television.
It remains a work in progress and delegates were invited
to take part in its continuing development. Many will be
involved on an expanded drafting committee, which is expected
to present its work for further comment at fall district
meetings.
Meanwhile, the Canadian Media Guild, the largest media Local
in North America, sought changes to a new policy that limits
strike pay from the CWA Member Relief Fund to an employee's
gross pay. The idea behind the change, made earlier this
year, was to ensure strike pay never becomes a factor in
prolonging a labour dispute.
Delegates asked the Sector Executive Council and TNG President
Linda Foley to work with CWA to look at ways of refining
the new rule so that it does not place an unnecessary burden
on Locals and their members when there is no chance of that
occurring.
Delegates also passed a number of other resolutions, including:
- A call for shield laws in Canada and the United States
to clearly protect the use of confidential sources, citing,
among other cases, that of Ottawa
Citizen reporter Juliet
O’Neill as an example of why they are needed.
- Measures to refocus Locals on the need to organize.
- Creation
of a Next Generation Committee to help drive the interests
of younger members.
- Creation of a Web-based forum to discuss
what is happening to the traditional media such as newspapers
as a result of developing technologies.
- Examination of ways
to help employee groups move into ownership positions,
if practical, when their news media employers are put
up for sale.
In elections, Linda Foley was acclaimed as president
and Bernie Lunzer as treasurer once more.
Veteran Eastern Canadian Vice-President Percy Hatfield decided
not to run for re-election again and he was replaced by Jan
Ravensbergen, president of the Montreal Newspaper Guild.
Scott Edmonds of the Canadian Media Guild was returned as
Western Canadian vice-president.
There was only one other departure from the Sector Executive
Council. Respected Region 1 Vice-President Lesley Phillips
surprised council members with the news she had accepted
a buyout from her newspaper in Boston, where she worked as
an editorial artist. She was replaced by Donna Marks.
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