2013.04.19
Fighting the Good Fight for Quality Jobs and Quality Journalism
We all know these are tough days for the labour movement and tough days for journalism – on both sides of the border.
Employers are cutting jobs, attacking long-standing rights, and they seem happy to produce second-rate products.
Right-wing politicians in Canada are attacking labour rights and your conservatives down here – who make ours look like moderates in comparison – are trying to TOTALLY destroy unions and collective bargaining.
Maybe I’m overly optimistic, but I think the tide might finally be starting to turn.
Ordinary people are finally realizing that there are fewer and fewer good jobs out there – the jobs that built this country.
Many young people are realizing that they might never be able to have that white picket fence. And many parents realize that their children don’t have the opportunity they had.
People are realizing that our political and financial systems OVERWHELMINGLY favours the rich and they see it for what it is: injustice.
That injustice has aroused a powerful sense of outrage and it’s vital NOW that we in the labour movement harness that energy to bring about social change.
But we can’t do it alone. We have to build a movement, and that means working with other progressives, whether it’s community organizations, social groups, student activists, environmentalists, religious leaders – anyone with whom we can find a common interest.
The Canadian Labour Congress – to which we at CWA Canada belong — is launching a major campaign to win over the minds of the public and build a united movement for social justice.
Polling shows that people share our values, but nevertheless, they still don't trust unions. We need to show them that we care about the same things. That we are on the same side. That we are the only ones standing up for the Middle Class.
We must also be steadfast in defending workers and the right to a decent living as employers cut jobs and send them overseas, and conservative politicians seek to undermine working people.
Conservatives and progressives may be chanting the same economic mantra – jobs, jobs, jobs. But progressives understand that jobs are useless unless they pay a decent wage.
It’s a similar thing with journalism. There’s journalism and then there’s quality journalism. Quality journalism requires time and resources to find a story, do the necessary legwork and write it thoughtfully. And that costs money.
You get what you pay for. So what do companies expect when they cut staffing and wages to the bone? How the hell can a reporter look for corruption at City Hall if he has to write five stories a day? And what kind of journalist are you going to get for a lousy wage?
It’s bad for workers, bad for society and dangerous for democracy.
So what do we do about it?
Well, we’ve got work to do. We’ve got to promote the cause of the 99%. We’ve got to defend wages and working conditions. We’ve got to speak up for quality journalism. And we’ve got to organize to protect more workers.
And that means all of us doing the work. Not just me. Not just Bernie. And not just you.
It has to be every activist in every Local using every tool at their disposal, whether it be talking to fellow workers, posting about issues on Facebook, attending a labour council meeting, asking friends if they need a union, donating to a cause – whatever.
It is vital that when we leave here, every one of us commits to engaging and mobilizing our members. We need everyone in this room to reach out to your fellow workers – especially younger members – and get them involved. Our future depends on it.
And it’s not that hard. You just have to do one thing: ASK.
Ask somebody to do something. Just one thing, no matter how easy: attend a meeting, come out to a social event, join a committee, or if they’re a free-rider, sign a card.
People don’t like to say No. Think back to how you got involved in the union. Most likely someone asked you to do something and you said Yes.
There’s a lot a doom and gloom out there and it always seems like we’re fighting an uphill battle. So I’d like to close with a bit of good news.
For two years I’ve been like a broken record talking at every turn about quality jobs and quality journalism. I’ve done everything I can think of — meetings, emails, press releases, campaigns – to convince media companies that the best way to win back disenchanted readers and boost profits is to improve their product.
What a novel idea, eh? Give customers a quality product.
Well, one of them is giving it a try. La Presse, a big newspaper in Quebec, has spent $40 million and hired 120 journalists as it launches a digital news service that will go directly to iPads.
It will be free, yet it will focus on top-notch, exclusive journalism. They expect to make their money through higher ad revenues as they attract hundreds of thousands of readers.
This is a big test. If they’re successful, it could mean the industry has found that elusive online profit model it’s been desperately looking for. And if that happens, it could mean a renaissance in the news industry.
I sure hope so. But in the meantime, let’s work together to protect jobs, defend journalism, improve wages and grow this union.
Let’s fight the good fight together!
