Name change reflects new status
within
international union
New officers join Executive Committee
TNG Canada/CWA is no more. Say hello
to CWA/SCA Canada.
The union's evolution within the
Communications Workers of America to a distinct and
autonomous Canadian Region led to the name change,
approved at the National Representative Council semi-annual
meeting in Toronto on the weekend.
"We changed our name to better
reflect both our enhanced status within CWA and that
we represent not only media workers, but people in
other industries as well," says Director Arnold
Amber.
Locals that are media unions, he says, can still identify
themselves as having a relationship with The Newspaper
Guild, which is a sector of CWA.
The new, bilingual name (SCA stands for Syndicat de
communications d'Amerique) is recognition of the large
number of the union's members who work in French, says
Amber.
After members approved creation of the Canadian Region
in a national referendum, complete administrative and
financial control switched from Washington to Ottawa
on Jan. 1. The Canadian union now collects members'
dues and runs its own legal assistance program. It
also participates in a number of CWA and TNG programs
and projects as well as the Members Relief Fund.
While the name change took effect immediately, it
will take some time to produce a new logo for the union
and related graphics, such as the website banner, says
Amber.
The change in the union's relationship with CWA also
led Rep Council delegates to pass a bylaw amendment
limiting to one year the term of office for members
of the Executive Committee, to allow time for a new
process for the election of officers to be developed.
The procedure will be finalized at the Fall Rep Council
meeting and in place for spring elections, in 2008,
when the three-year terms will resume.
The election of officers on the weekend sees three
new faces on the Executive Committee:
Chris Grogan, president of IUE-TNG CWA Local 80400,
takes over as Secretary from Ottawa Newspaper Guild
president Lois Kirkup, who remains on the committee
as Eastern Vice-President.
New Members at Large are Charles
Shannon, 1st vice-president of the Montreal Newspaper
Guild, and Luis Rufo, secretary-treasurer of the
Media & Communications Workers of Alberta.
In its last action of the weekend, the NRC accepted
the offer of the Halifax Typographical Union to host
its Fall meeting in the latter half of October.