19 August 2004

New technical unit at APTN ratifies tentative agreement

Canadian Media Guild | TNG Canada Local 30213

Members of the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) Technical Unit have overwhelmingly ratified a first collective agreement.

This contract covers the approximately 25 members of the Canadian Media Guild bargaining unit for a three-year period. The agreement comes after four months of bargaining by the TNG Canada/CWA Local and was achieved with the assistance of a federal mediation officer.

The deal provides for wage increases ranging from 10.5 per cent to more than 34 per cent over the life of the agreement.

Other highlights:

• employees will be entitled to overtime for work performed after 35 hours in a week;
  
• no averaging of hours;
  
• protection from termination except for just cause;
  
• a seniority-based process for layoffs and recall;
  
• reasonable breaks between shifts.

The agreement contains a "wage re-opener" after the first two years; this means that although the whole collective agreement is in effect for three years, the two sides will meet after two years to negotiate a wage increase for the third year without affecting any other provisions of the contract.

The APTN board of directors must also ratify the agreement; this is expected within the next couple of weeks.

The bargaining committee included Leighton Day, Allan McKay, Jason Shymanski and Dan Oldfield.

This story first appeared on the Canadian Media Guild web site.