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03 May 2005
Participant in Guild's unfolding
history
departs office urging growth, involvement
Percy Hatfield is stepping down as TNG-CWA
Vice-President, Canada East. This is his final report,
to be delivered at the TNG-CWA Sector Conference in Victoria,
British Columbia May 5-8.
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TNG Canada East
Vice-President's
Report |
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I'd like to thank you all for the friendship
and support you've shared with me during our years together.
It has been both a privilege and an honour to have been one
of your political representatives. I have enjoyed the experience
immensely, especially the many successes we've shared with
TNG Canada.
Some of you will remember the "old days" when
we were part of what was then called the Canadian District
Council of The Newspaper Guild. Those District Council meetings
were often acrimonious and although we enjoyed modest success,
we also shared some setbacks, such as seeing the Southern
Ontario Newspaper Guild leave our TNG family, despite our
best efforts to have them remain and grow with us in Canada.
I was one of the representatives
from what was then called the Canadian Wire Service Guild — the
forerunner to the Canadian Media
Guild. I served on the national executive with the CWSG,
holding the
National Secretary position, and later, the lofty title of
President of the CBC Branch before we began the first process
of merging the many unions at the CBC.
I served as the President of the Canadian
District Council for the final
two terms of that organization and I was instrumental in
recruiting
Arnold Amber to run as the Director of what became TNG Canada.
I think you will all agree that was probably the best move
I've ever made, as we would not be the proud organization
we are today were it not for the brilliance of Arnold Amber
and his determined effort to grow the union in all directions.
I've long been an admirer of Arnold's abilities. We worked
together on the initial merger of the CBC unions and I served
several terms as one of the Vice-Presidents with him on the
national executive of the CWSG / CMG.
I've also served with Arnold on the old
International Executive Council
of TNG and currently the Sector Executive Council of The
Newspaper
Guild/CWA for the past 10 years and felt the time was right
for me to
step aside.
I've had a good run. I was the first
Canadian to be elected as an "At
Large" Vice-President and I was one of the leaders of
the fight to"downsize" the International Executive by gradually
eliminating the "At
Large" positions. Fortunately for me, the position of
Eastern Canadian
Vice-President opened up as my final term as an "At
Large" VP was ending.
In a small way, I've been an active participant
as the history of our
union unfolded. I played a role when we merged The Newspaper
Guild with the Communications Workers of America. I helped
elect Linda Foley, Bernie Lunzer and Larry Cohen.
I've served with several other Canadians
on the International Board: Ray Aboud from CMG, Kathy Small
from Victoria, Larry McInnis from Montreal, John Barker from
Peterborough/Halifax and, of course, Scott Edmonds from Winnipeg,
who in my modest opinion is the most
valuable Vice-President the Sector Executive Council has
had.
Volunteers' sacrifices make union strong
As you all know, union work is often thankless.
As volunteers we're
required to be on the road a lot or on the phone. We miss
important
family birthdays, anniversaries, the first day of school,
high school
graduations, Mother's Day, Father's Day ... too many of our
weekends are spent huddled in airless meeting rooms sharing
stale sandwiches and bad coffee.
When I first became involved, our local required those of
us who wanted to attend District Council meetings or TNG
conferences and conventions to do so on our own time. We'd
use annual leave credits in order to attend. In most cases,
that was time stolen from what could have been quality family
time. But we did it because we felt strongly that volunteering
for the union was a necessity, someone had to do it for the
union to remain strong and to flourish.
One of my bureau chiefs once thanked me
for putting up with the
union's demands on my time by saying: "You're doing
God's work." I don't know about that, but I've always
known that being a union volunteer was not the best way of
advancing one's career. However, if we are doing the work
of the angels, then thank God we're on the side of the good
angels, standing up for our colleagues, fighting for what's
right, and fair, and in the best interests of the individual
as well as the union.
I've made a lot of friends and I've lost a few, such as
Ron Udeschini from Sudbury, and the all-inspiring John Belcarz
from Montreal.
The memories hold, the pain endures.
Of the many Guild members I've met over
the years, I can honestly say,
I've never met one I would not welcome into my home. Guild
people are the salt of the earth, united in one purpose,
for better, enforceable
contracts.
Of course, we have to remember to have
a bit of fun along the way. Too
often, our working lives dominate our family ties and we
lose sight of the
need to make time to enjoy both the rising and the setting
of the sun. and to find quality time for ourselves.
Sometimes in the heat of debate, passion
takes over, positions harden, and feelings are hurt. It's
important to encourage a healing process, to
strive for consensus, and to set aside personal ambitions
in order to serve the wider goals and purposes of the union.
It helps to have a sense of humour and to reach out to those
who may have felt slighted, and bring them back into the
fold.
Although I won't be one of your Vice-Presidents,
I will remain involved
with the union. I've been a shop steward for nearly 30 years
and will
continue in that role back in my home local. I'm also still
on the Guild's
bargaining team as we try to get a new contract with the
CBC.
I expect to work another couple of years
as long as my health remains
strong, and I will follow with interest the journey my fellow
Guild
activists take in their fight for better contracts on behalf
of us all.
I'd like again, to thank you all — especially
Arnold Amber, Scott Edmonds and (CMG President) Lise Lareau.
We've worked hard together on many campaigns and the struggle
continues. We need to encourage our younger members to
become more involved, and we have to do more to involve
the women within our ranks. We need to continue the grooming
process and continue to train those whom we expect to remain
involved in the Guild in all of our constituent locals,
big and small.
Although the CMG is the largest local in
TNG/CWA, because of our unique, Canada-wide structure, we
comprise many local units, such as my home local in Windsor.
I've always felt that I come from a small local,
and I've tried to identify with folks from the smaller locals
in TNG/CWA.
I've championed their causes and I've supported their leaders,
even when at times it's put me at odds with other members
from the Canadian Media Guild. Let's not lose sight of the
importance of the small locals and their needs.
Keep up the good fight, grow your home locals, mobilize
your members,
organize new members. Grow the union, and never, never give
up on our dream of one day having a full-time Canadian Director.
Finally, let me leave you a couple
of quotes. One from Katharine Graham: "To love what you do and feel that it matters — how
could anything be more fun?" And how about this one
from Goethe: "We must always change, renew, rejuvenate
ourselves, otherwise we harden."
Thank you, goodbye and oh, I almost
forgot, from Providence to Peoria, "Thank you, Thank you, Thank you — Victoria."
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