Media unions picket in support
of
striking U.S. writers
Representatives of CWA Canada and
its largest Local, the Canadian Media Guild, took up
picket signs in the freezing streets of Toronto yesterday
in support of striking members of the Writers Guild
of America.
The international day of solidarity
saw rallies held in countries around the world, including
Australia, Britain, France, Germany and Mexico. About
50 people turned out in Toronto to picket in front
of the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, while
about 150 marched outside the headquarters of Société des
auteurs de radio, télévision et cinéma
in Montreal.
The U.S. movie and television writers, who are in
the fourth week of a strike, are fighting for compensation
from Hollywood producers for rebroadcast of their work
over the internet, on pay TV and on such digital devices
as cellphones.
Lise Lareau, president of the
Canadian Media Guild, speaking on behalf of its 6,000
members at CBC/Radio-Canada,The Canadian Press, Reuters,
TVO, TFO, Alliance Atlantis, APTN, S-VOX and other
media employers, said she was there "to support
our colleagues who are fighting for their fair share
of the digital revolution."
In an open letter to members
of the WGA, Lareau said that "We, too, have
fought for fair compensation for our work, no matter
where it ends up getting used.
"Many of our members know what it is like to
be on the picket line. Two years ago, the CBC locked
out 5,500 of us. But we fought back – and won – and
we did it the same way you’re doing it now. We
did it by using the internet – blogs, podcasts
and other online connections – to involve Canadians
directly in our struggle."
"The internet is the future of the entertainment
industry," Rebecca Schechter, president of the
Writers Guild of Canada, told CBC
News in Toronto. "Writers
deserve to be fairly compensated for the work they
do everywhere in the world."
Other organizations participating in the Canadian
rallies included the Alliance of Canadian Television,
Film and Radio Artists, the Writers' Union of Canada,
the Directors Guild of Canada and the Montreal Film
Group.