2013.06.25 | CWA Canada Local 30213 | Canadian Media Guild
Joseph Comeau photo
Gary Stackhouse leads a crowd of supporters Tuesday in Saint John as they celebrate one year on strike against MBS Radio.
Saint John 7 'celebrate' one year on strike
The Saint John 7 enter Year Two of their strike against MBS Radio buoyed by a downtown rally that drew fans, labour groups, politicians and words of support from Official Opposition Leader Thomas Mulcair.
The seven employees of three Saint John radio stations — CFBC, K-100 and Big John FM — who are represented by CWA Canada's largest Local, the Canadian Media Guild (CMG), are seeking higher wages and paid overtime. They have been negotiating for more than two years to achieve a first contract with Maritime Broadcasting System, owned by Nova Scotia lawyer Robert Pace.
Gary Stackhouse, President of CMG's MBS Radio unit, says many people have asked him why he and his six striking colleagues are so upbeat about this anniversary. "We certainly would prefer to not still be on strike after 365 days, but today we are celebrating our fighting spirit. After a year on the picket line, all seven of us are stronger than ever in our resolve to bring this to a satisfactory conclusion."
CWA Canada Director Martin O'Hanlon, in Saint John along with other union leaders, says it's inspiring to see the "Magnificent Seven" still fighting for what's right.
"It's been a long year, but we must never forget that this fight is still about one simple thing — getting a bare living wage for good honest workers," O'Hanlon says. "We are not asking for much, just a small raise so that a five-year radio announcer is making more than $11 an hour."
"Robert Pace is a multi-millionaire who is making a big profit out of MBS. He claims to care about his workers but he refuses to pay a living wage. It's sad, it's inexcusable and we will keep fighting the good fight until he behaves like a good corporate citizen."
The workers have not received any across-the-board wage increases in more than a dozen years, and say wages for some positions have actually fallen dramatically. The company is offering wage scales from $10.58 to $12.98 an hour to start. CMG is asking for wages to start between $12 and $17.21 an hour in 2013.
Carmel Smyth, National President of the CMG, O'Hanlon, New Brunswick Federation of Labour President Patrick Colford and provincial NDP Leader Dominick Cardy were among the guest speakers offering support and encouragement to the strikers. About 75 representatives of a dozen different unions turned out for the rally that also attracted fans and other supporters from the community.
NDP Leader Mulcair paid tribute in a letter to the Saint John 7, saying "We know that the fight to secure a first collective agreement is not just about improving your own working conditions. Those who come after you will also benefit from the gains that you achieve. By standing up for your rights, you are helping to advance equality and social justice and to prevent the deterioration of working conditions for all Canadians."
CMG Vice President Lise Lareau, in a commentary marking the first anniversary of the strike, says the seven employees who create the programming that keeps three stations on the air, make an average of $28,000 a year. This compares to an average salary of $40,000 at all radio stations in New Brunswick and $53,000 at stations in similar sized markets across the country.
"These seven people love to work in radio. So much so that they do other jobs so they CAN work in radio. Even on strike, they are still doing radio at RadioFreeSaintJohn.fm," writes Lareau.
For interviews or more information, contact Dan Oldfield, CMG Senior Staff Rep (dan@cmg.ca) at 416-347-2093 or Karen Wirsig, CMG Communications Co-ordinator (karen@cmg.ca) at 1-800-465-4149.