CWA Canada President Martin O’Hanlon tells the NewsGuild-CWA Sector Conference that 2019 will be a two-front war for quality journalism and press free
An upsurge in union organizing among journalists and other news industry employees will be the focus of a panel discussion and a question-and-answer session at The NewsGuild-CWA Sector Conference on Saturday, Jan. 26. Video of the session will be aired at about 4 p.m. on Facebook.
Jan. 2, 2019
A New Year’s Message from
CWA Canada President Martin O’Hanlon
Dear fellow CWA Canada members,
I hope you had a relaxing holiday season, and a big thank you to everyone who has helped us fight the good fight for quality jobs and quality journalism, whether as a union leader or activist, or just doing something for the cause.
While it has been yet another challenging year, there is good news for our union. Despite our small size and the threats facing the media industry, CWA Canada is a leader in progressive, innovative labour projects. Our associate membership program for students has been a huge success, and we are breaking new ground with our digital, freelance and Factual TV organizing. For a small union, we punch way above our weight.
We begin the new year with the hope that 2019 will be a turning point on two fronts – the troubled media industry and freedom of the press.
Last month, I spoke to a Senate committee on behalf of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) about the growing threat to press freedom around the world.
It’s hard to believe that in 2019, we’re having to fight harder for such a fundamental and vital right.
We’ve long watched governments, from Saudi Arabia to Russia to Cuba, restricting what journalists can report. But now, many serial offenders like China are cracking down even harder, using technology to quash dissent and to block the sharing of information on social media.
Even more troubling, we’ve seen the rise of demagogues and ultra-conservative parties in formerly progressive countries like Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and the Philippines, who are openly hostile to the media. Turkey is now the world’s leading jailer of journalists with hundreds being held on trumped-up charges – and many given long jail sentences.
And then there’s the U.S. where the ugliness of Trump and his Republican enablers are a threat to both freedom of the press and democracy.
Let’s be clear: journalism is a pillar of democracy and attacks on the media are attacks on our democratic systems.
It is vital that progressive, moderate, responsible countries like Canada speak out publicly whenever freedom of the press is under attack, that we pressure other countries diplomatically to do better, and that we punish the worst offenders, through economic sanctions if necessary.
Restricting journalists’ rights is one thing, but in many countries, the situation is even more dire.
At least 94 media workers were killed in 2018, according to the IFJ, while hundreds more are in prison, and dozens are being held hostage.
And there are growing threats to digital safety with cyber-attacks, hacking, and online harassment –especially of women journalists –all creating a safety crisis for news professionals.
A growing frustration with a lack of action and often a lack of will to tackle the crisis of impunity, has driven the IFJ to call for an international Convention on the Safety of Journalists and Media Professionals,whichwe have asked the federal government to support.
Here in Canada, the situation is more benign but still worrying.
Last year, Radio-Canada reporter Antoine Trépanier wasarrested by Gatineau police simply for doing his job and asking questions – based on a frivolous harassment complaint by someone who didn’t like what he was reporting. Also this year, a judgeordered Radio-Canada journalist Marie-Maude Denis to reveal her source in a corruption trial, a case that is now going to the Supreme Court.
And of course, the Supreme Court ruled just last month that VICE Media reporter Ben Makuch must hand over material he gathered about an accused ISIS fighter. CWA Canada was an intervener in that case.
Again, let’s be clear: the media is not, nor should it ever be, an arm of the state. As journalists, we must fight any attempt by anyone, especially authorities, to interfere with freedom of the press.
As a result, we will be pushing the federal government to bolster the Journalistic Source Protection Act to better protect journalists’ sources.
Turning to the state of the media industry, in November the government announced $595 million in tax help for the media industry and confirmed that media non-profits will be eligible for charitable donations.
That’s great, but we have to make sure that none of the money goes to line the pockets of owners, vulture funds, hedge funds, or to executives. It is disgraceful that Postmedia CEO Paul Godfrey’s compensation soared to $5 million last year from $1.2 million even as the company struggled and he demanded concessions from staff on pensions and health benefits. Shameless.
We will continue to push the government to break up the Postmedia monopoly and toughen up Competition Bureau rules to block leveraged purchases of important companies, especially in the media.
We believe this is vital for preserving quality jobs and quality journalism by encouraging local, non-profit ownership of newspapers rather than the destructive, predatory hedge fund disaster that is Postmedia.
I will wrap up with a positive note from south of the border where the NewsGuild-CWA, our sister American union, has seen an explosion of organizing in the last couple of years, bringing in over 1,000 new members at papers like the L.A. Times and Chicago Tribune. This is an exciting time in the U.S. as media workers finally stand up for themselves and for journalism. And you can expect to see more of the same in the year ahead.
I urge all of you to join in the fight for quality jobs, quality journalism and press freedom by getting active with the union in 2019.
Please “Like” our CWA Canada Facebook page, follow us on Twitter (@cwacanada1), and visit our website (cwacanada.ca) to subscribe to our eNewsletter “CWeh! Canada.”
All the best in 2019!
By Martin O’Hanlon
President, CWA/SCA Canada
Making New Year’s predictions is risky business.
Last January, I predicted the worst would be over for newspapers in 2014 and things would start to improve.
Well, I may have been half right.
The last year, like the last decade, was not kind to the media industry. We saw more deep and damaging cuts at a number of employers, with the CBC and Halifax Chronicle Herald hardest hit.
In Halifax, a proud and vibrant newsroom was stunned and battered by deep cuts that came with no warning, empathy or delicacy.
At the CBC, we are losing hundreds of colleagues and unless we get a government that will provide adequate funding, the survival of our public broadcaster is in doubt.
As we begin 2015, I remain confident that things will improve, but we can’t just sit back and hope. We must stand up for jobs and journalism, and we must build a movement for social and economic justice. After all, if we don’t, who will?
Each of us has a part to play and once again, I am asking every member of CWA Canada to do something – even just one small thing – to help as we launch two new campaigns.
The first, the “Save the CBC” campaign, is already gearing up under the direction of our biggest local, the Canadian Media Guild.
The goal is to make quality public broadcasting a ballot box issue in this year’s federal election.
For years now, the CBC has been starved of the funds it needs to fulfill its federally legislated mandate.
The Harper Conservatives, while scared to kill the CBC outright, have not been shy about showing their disdain for public broadcasting. Unless they change their position, or unless we have a new government committed to public broadcasting, the CBC will fade away.
That unthinkable prospect would be a huge blow to Canadian culture and it would mean the loss of CBC News, with far fewer journalists to keep an eye on government, politicians and corporate power brokers.
That’s bad for society and democracy and we can’t let it happen.
So what can we do?
Over the coming weeks and months, we will use email, Twitter, Facebook and workplace posters to let you know how you can help.
It could be:
• Attending a Save the CBC rally
• Signing an online petition
• Joining our Facebook page
• Retweeting Twitter posts
• Telling your local MP that the CBC matters to you
Our second campaign is to stop Canada from signing the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a secretive “trade” deal being negotiated behind closed doors.
The TPP isn’t really a trade agreement at all – it’s a cozy arrangement that would give corporations unprecedented new international powers and it’s being negotiated with plenty of input from corporations and almost no involvement from elected officials, never mind labour leaders or environmental experts.
The TPP would have a major impact on Canada, yet almost no one is talking about it. We must change that.
Under the TPP:
· Foreign corporations would be able to challenge Canadian laws (environment, safety, etc.) bypassing Canadian courts and going directly to closed-door international tribunals that could override Canadian sovereignty.
· Canada would lose thousands more jobs as companies move production overseas, particularly to Vietnam where garment workers earn just 50 cents an hour.
With both the CBC and TPP campaigns, we have to build a movement, working with other progressives, including community organizations, social groups, student activists, environmentalists, religious leaders – anyone with whom we can find a common interest.
Again, over the coming months, we will use email and social media to let you know how you can help.
One person and one act at a time, working together, we can make a difference.
Let’s each do our part in 2015 to protect quality jobs, defend quality journalism – and make Canada a better place.
O’Hanlon, 44, is taking a leave from his regular job as parliamentary editor for The Canadian Press, where he continues until the end of this week.
Arnold Amber, the outgoing Director, conducted the official swearing-in of O’Hanlon and Lois Kirkup, 50, who was acclaimed as Deputy Director in May. The president of the Ottawa Newspaper Guild became Treasurer, also by acclamation, a month earlier at the spring meeting of the National Representative Council. Kirkup will serve in both volunteer positions on the executive until a new treasurer can be elected at the next NRC meeting in April 2012.
O’Hanlon, a member of the Canadian Media Guild who last month was declared the winner in national elections, had been Deputy Director for seven years.
“I am looking forward to working with everyone to make this the most progressive and dynamic union in Canada,” said O’Hanlon.
“I’d also like to pay special tribute to Arnold Amber, who steps down after 16 years at the helm of the union. Arnold has been a strong and visionary leader who built CWA|SCA Canada into what it is today. We are grateful for all he’s done and will welcome his ongoing advice.”
The GreatWhig.ca team launched the campaign at a news conference in Kingston this morning. From left: Martin O’Hanlon, project initiator and CWA Canada deputy director;Kingston writer Jamie Swift; GreatWhig.ca project manager Alec Ross; CWA Canada Director Arnold Amber; and Paul Schliesmann, Whig-Standard reporter and vice-president of the Kingston Typographical Union.
Souurce: cwa-scacanada.ca
It’s a project the size and likes of which CWA Canada has never before undertaken. The mission? To enjoin an entire community in a campaign to pressure a corporate media giant to restore the quality of its daily newspaper.
An advertising blitz that heralds the launch today of the ambitious multi-media campaign is sure to make the Kingston Whig-Standard the talk of the town, which some time ago dubbed its once highly regarded publication the “Sub” Standard. The message to “Make It Great!” will emanate from billboards, transit ads, radio spots, flyers, the GreatWhig.ca website and a Facebook fan page.
Quebecor chief Pierre Karl Péladeau is about to get an earful from disgruntled readers and advertisers who have lamented the newspaper’s rapid decline under his stewardship. They will be sending email messages and signing a petition that calls on Quebecor to “devote the appropriate resources to the Whig-Standard so that Kingston can once again have a newspaper worthy of our great city.”
Martin O’Hanlon, deputy director of CWA Canada, initiated the project last fall and has overseen its development over the past six months. The executive of the Kingston Typographical Union (KTU), which represents Whig employees, heartily endorsed the plan and connected its architects with community leaders and activists who were quick to embrace the campaign.
“This is about fighting the good fight for quality local news and jobs. It’s not about union versus management; it’s about doing what’s best for everyone,” says O’Hanlon.
“We want to convince Quebecor that investing properly in its newspapers and keeping jobs in the community is good for readers, employees, democracy — and profits.”
Paul Schliesmann, a veteran reporter at the newspaper and vice-president of the KTU, says this is a last-ditch effort: “This project gives me the only hope I have left for the Whig-Standard.”
As the campaign material notes, the Whig-Standard used to be one of Canada’s best small-city newspapers. It won national awards for investigative reporting, offered in-depth coverage of Kingston issues and provided a balanced forum for discussion of matters of local and national importance.
In recent years, and particularly under Quebecor ownership, the qualities that once made the Whig-Standard a source of pride for Kingston have dramatically declined. Readers and advertisers keenly feel the loss.
Petitioners, whose message will go to both Péladeau and Ron Laurin, the newspaper’s publisher, will “request that Quebecor devote the appropriate resources to the Whig-Standard so that Kingston can once again have a newspaper worthy of our great city.”
Alec Ross, a long-time activist in Kingston who cares passionately about the Whig’s status, is co-ordinating the campaign for CWA Canada. A local company was contracted to design and construct the website, which features video testimonials from people in the community who describe the impact of Quebecor’s corporate decisions.
Among those weighing in are Rob Baker of the Tragically Hip, Richard Kizell, chair of the University Hospitals Kingston Foundation, professors, business people, politicians, writers and former Whig reporters.
“Generally,” says Ross, “I chose the video subjects because they are thoughtful, engaged and articulate Whig readers. We have a lot of support from prominent Kingstonians who totally sympathize with the cause, but who — for various reasons — declined to do a video.”
Lawrence Scanlan, who used to work at the Whig, recounts the halcyon days and expresses his sadness for what has been lost. He’s one of many dedicated journalists who recognize that a once proud profession has been undermined by a corporate ownership more interested in proselytizing a political ideology than upholding the public’s interest, a newspaper’s traditional role.
Indeed, Quebecor’s Sun Media has spread its right-wing tentacles into its newspapers and broadcast outlets to espouse its agenda and silence voices of opposition. The chain’s newspapers are filled with articles that spread the gospel and barely reflect the communities they purport to cover.
Centralizing of functions such as subscription services and advertising has eliminated scores of jobs at Sun Media publications and disconnected the publications from the communities they are supposed to serve.
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For interviews or more information, contact Martin O’Hanlon (email / 613-867-5090) or Alec Ross (email / 613-572-3182).
To: CWA/SCA Canada Locals From: National Elections Committee
Re: Campaign for National Director, CWA/SCA Canada Dear Local Officials,
You are being officially notified of the election for the position of National Director of CWA/SCA Canada.
Under election rules approved by the National Representative Council, the campaign period starts immediately and ends at 12 noon EDT on Thursday, June 2. The voting period starts at 12:01 p.m. EDT on Thursday, June 2, and ends at the close of business in the national office in Ottawa on Thursday, June 23.
Votes will be collected by the National Elections Committee and counted on June 24-26.
During the campaign period, union funds, staff and other resources shall not be used in support of any particular candidate. Locals must provide equal treatment to both candidates in terms of making websites, bulletin boards, etc., available for election material. For example, if a local decides to create an area on its website for posting of messages of support, it must communicate that to both candidates.
The email addresses for the candidates are:
Ron Carroll ronc1@localnet.com
Martin O’Hanlon mohanlon@cwa-scacanada.ca
The election will be conducted by mail except for those locals that indicated they would conduct balloting in-plant before the deadline, which was at 12 noon EDT today.
If you have any questions about the rules for the campaign, please contact the National Elections Committee through the national office in Ottawa:
CWA/SCA Canada Unit 7B – 1050 Baxter Road Ottawa, ON K2C 3P1 info@cwa-scacanada.ca 613-820-9777 1-877-486-4292 Fax 613-820-8188
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Martin O’Hanlon |
Ron Carroll |
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ELECT MARTIN O’HANLON: DIRECTOR, CWA/SCA CANADA Dear friends, Since January, we have launched some of the most exciting projects in our history. With the continuing challenges ahead, it’s critical that we have an innovative, common-sense leader with the experience and skills necessary to run a complex union and keep us moving forward. As Deputy Director of the union for the last seven years, a national and local leader for two decades, and a founding leader of the union in 1995, I know the initiatives we have in place and I have a clear vision for the future. With the retirement of Arnold Amber, I’m running for the position of Director and I humbly ask for your support so that together, we can build the most dynamic, progressive union in the country. My guiding principle as a leader is simple: do what’s best for the members. I have always served in a volunteer capacity, balancing union duties with long work hours and family life. My full-time job is parliamentary editor for The Canadian Press in Ottawa, directing a team of some of the finest political journalists in Canada. A few months back, I proposed and began developing a pilot project for Kingston – a community-based, public-awareness campaign aimed at pressuring Quebecor to improve local news coverage and protect local jobs at the Whig-Standard. After countless meetings, conference calls and emails, I’m thrilled to say the project launched today and is already drawing a lot of attention. The plan is to use what we’ve learned from Kingston and take the campaign to other communities. As we work proactively to defend journalism and save jobs, it’s also important that we help members when we lose the battle to protect them from layoffs. I’m proud to have initiated the education/training subsidy which has aided many of our laid-off colleagues with the cost of study courses and retraining. It does a little bit to help them get back on their feet, and – more importantly – it shows that we care. While I’ve mentioned two of my recent initiatives, other leaders have put forward great ideas and most of our projects are team efforts. I have collaborated on or strongly backed other key developments, including the hiring of a full-time organizing director, and a first-of-its-kind alliance with an agency that represents freelance journalists. Here are some priorities I would like to move forward with in the next year: * Organizing: Revitalize our organizing program and pour in as many resources as possible to grow the union, bring the benefits of unionism to more workers, and reinvigorate the labour movement. * New activists/leaders: Quickly establish a strategy for using education, training and other means to get more members involved (especially younger ones) and build the next generation of leadership. * Education: Establish a formal education program on the national level with semi-annual education/training seminars or courses. * Communication: Build on recent efforts to improve the flow of union information to members. Improve external communications to establish CWA/SCA Canada as the "Go-To" union for labour issues. * Public Broadcasting: The recent election of the majority federal Conservative government raises the serious possibility of cuts to CBC funding. A Tory government in Ontario could be equally threatening to TVO. I passionately believe in the importance of public broadcasting and will work with the CMG leadership on implementing a plan as soon as possible to head off any cuts. * Diversity: Work with Diversity v.p. Ing Wong-Ward and Locals to develop a plan to reach out better to members and prospective members from diverse backgrounds to make the union inclusive and more representative of our membership. * The Way Ahead: Renew and reinvigorate "The Way Ahead" project – the blueprint for growing the union – which has spawned some of our most innovative initiatives. * Balanced budgets: Work with the Finance and Executive committees to ensure a balanced budget each year. Thanks to all who have written and phoned with kind words and expressions of support. Please don’t hesitate to call or email if you have any questions or just want to chat. You can also check out my Facebook page: Elect Martin O’Hanlon For Director CWA/SCA Canada. All the best, Martin O’Hanlon |
For the first time in this union’s history, the 9,000 members of CWA/SCA Canada have a choice and a voice.
In the past, our director was determined by the National Representative Council, and the current director, Arnold Amber, has held the post since 1995. Individual members had no say in choosing its best representative.
With the communication industry facing rapid change and complex challenges as the digital world becomes more intrenched in everyone’s life and businesses exploit new technologies to reduce costs and jobs,, now, more than ever, it is important that members choose their director. I was born with ink in my veins as my father’s career in newspapers spanned nearly 70 years. I remember the smell of the old letterset presses and the clatter of hot-metal Linotype machines as a child growing up. At 12, I became a paperboy, following that a stint as a photographer for the student newspaper in high school. With the newspaper bug coursing through my blood I went on to journalism and print school in Toronto. Some of my studies included some radio and TV courses. After school I kicked off my career in journalism and have since worked as a reporter, photographer and editor. For nearly 25 years I have worked as a copy editor at the Montreal Gazette in every editorial department; news, sports, business, life and entertainment. I have developed a solid background in marketing, advertising and public relations during my tenure. To broaden my skills, I took a year leave of absence from the Gazette taking over as the editor of a small daily newspaper managing and supervising a staff of 20. While relatively new to the union ranks as an executive officer (secretary) for the Montreal Newspaper Guild for the past three years, I have deeply involved myself in all aspects of the Guild, going to CWA training sessions, attending the last two National Representative Councils as a delegate, the annual Communications Workers of America Convention in Washington last July and the Newspaper Guild-CWA Sector Conference in Orlando in February. I also was part of the Bargaining Committee during three years of difficult and contentious bargaining for a new contract at The Gazette that was ratified last month. I am a devoted, hard-working problem-solver who likes to get things done. I am not into playing politics, but rather into changing the political arena. Why do I want your vote for director of the CWA-SCA Canada? Over the past 40 years, I have watched the industry adopt new technology and had to learn to adapt right along with everyone else. Unfortunately, what was once family-owned enterprises that were devoted to quality journalism were absorbed by corporate conglomerates interested only in the next quarterly earnings report and burdened with huge debt loads because of more and more acquisitions. Where does that leave us as a union and employees… on the outside looking in! Despite the prophets of doom and gloom who predict the imminent demise of traditional media as the digital world takes over, print and broadcasting remain the breadwinners, generating most of the content and revenues. Owners have devoted enormous resources to the Internet, but they still struggle to produce more than 10 per cent of their revenue from digital. Sure, the recession knocked the stuffing out of advertising, but it is recovering, as are profits. Media chains in Canada continued to make money even in the depths of the recession, and with brutal cost-cutting and job losses they are raking in even more dough. Unions and employees have been fighting a rear-guard action to maintain their hard-fought gains in the face of this corporate onslaught. But with owners now enjoying healthy balance sheets and, apparently, the bloodletting somewhat staunched, we as a union must begin thinking about how we can not only improve the lot of those lucky enough to still be working in the industry, but what we can do to help the employer restore the quality and respect that was so easily jettisoned in the name of so-called survival. For retired members and current members who have been contributing to their pension plans for years and now worry if those benefits will continue to be paid or at a reduced level, we must pressure employers to protect our futures. We also are not immune to dollars and sense. Our budgets are under severe strain because of job losses and the associated reductions of dues. CWA-SCA Canada must attack this problem immediately by a combination of finding new revenue through organizing new members, spending existing funds wisely and productively, and becoming more innovative. The communications learning curve has become so steep that employers are years behind: just ask your kids. It’s evident that even the Internet is now passé, replaced by social media and smart phones. We as a union movement must surf the new wave or face getting swamped like our employers. If we don’t join the future, we’ll only be another footnote in history along with the telegraph, dial phones and letter-writing. It’s now time for a new face to occupy an office in Ottawa as your director. I am asking you for your support in this endeavour. I also plan on relocating to Ottawa if elected. This business has been my life, my career and my world, and it’s yours, too. Thank you, Secretary, Montreal Newspaper Guild Please feel free to call or email if you would like to talk about your concerns. 518-651-6392 |
