Beirne Scholarships Awarded

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Beirne Scholarships Awarded for 2024-2025

The CWA Joe Beirne Foundation was established in October 1974 by the CWA Executive Board to honor the name and memory of the founding President of CWA, who served for more than 30 years.

Sixteen partial college scholarships of $4,000 each are being awarded for the 2024–2025 school year. Winners, selected in a lottery drawing, will also receive second-year scholarships of the same amount, contingent upon satisfactory academic accomplishment. Part-time students taking fewer than 12 credits will receive half of the scholarship amount.

Eligible for the awards are CWA members and their spouses, children, and grandchildren, including those of retired or deceased members.

2024-2025 Winners:

Toemars Levell, son of Tasha Graham, CWA Local 1101
Nailah Thomas, CWA Local 1037
Chelsea Walsh, daughter of Timothy Walsh, CWA Local 1103
Alex Glynn, son of Sandra Tan, TNG-CWA Local 31026
Alejandro Boxx, son of Jeffrey Boxx, CWA Local 1170
Amberleigh Fretwell, daughter of Ian Thomas, CWA Local 2222
Paris Iqbal, daughter of Victoria Muñoz, CWA Local 3640
Brayden Degueyter, son of Nicholas Degueyter, CWA Local 3406
Branden Haywood, son of Willie Webb, CWA Local 4320
Jordyn Zittle, daughter of Jason Zittle, CWA Local 4302
Natalie Anderson, daughter of Joe Anderson, CWA Local 6012
Holden Guilfoyle, son of Timothy Guilfoyle, CWA Local 6410
Reina Lujan, CWA Local 7076
Jayleen Ramirez, daughter of Fernando Ramirez, CWA Local 9333
Charles D. Cease, son of Editha Cease, CWA Local 9003
Elisabeth Coppard-Reuten, daughter of Pat Coppard, CWA|SCA Canada Local 30223

Click here to learn more about the Joe Beirne Scholarship Program.

Carmel Smyth wins race to lead CWA Canada

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23.06.23

Carmel Smyth has been declared winner of the national election to determine the next leader of CWA Canada.

She garnered 469 votes while 349 went to challenger Meredith Martin, in the contest to replace outgoing President Martin O’Hanlon.

Lois Kirkup, who was acclaimed, continues in the post of vice-president for another four-year term. She is a longtime member and president of the Ottawa Newspaper Guild.

Said a victorious Smyth: “As we know, the media industry faces many challenges, and we have to be vigilant about having our voices and lived experiences included in the conversation. I will work hard to deserve your support.”

Smyth and Kirkup will be sworn in at the CWA Convention July 10-12 in St. Louis, Missouri.

Matt Skube, Hayley Juhl and Nigel Sones form the National Elections Committee, which conducted the country-wide vote, with Locals choosing the method, either in-plant, electronic or mail-in ballot.

The committee reported that it received at least one vote from every Local across the country. Two Locals conducted their vote electronically, one did an on-site vote and the others used mail-in ballots, none of which was spoiled.

Smyth, a journalist with 25 years of experience in private and public broadcasting, was president of the Canadian Media Guild (Local 30213) for nine years.

Martin, a producer/journalist with 20 years of experience at Ontario’s public broadcaster, was recently elected president of the Canadian Media Guild’s TVO branch.

Kirkup and O’Hanlon were first elected to the two top positions in a national vote in 2011.

O’Hanlon has been in the leadership ranks since the union’s inception as TNG Canada/CWA in 1995.

Ottawa radio station CFRA workers file to unionize with CWA Canada

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Lois Kirkup (front, right), president of the Ottawa Newspaper Guild, is welcoming workers at CFRA radio station into the Local.

Beleaguered staff at an Ottawa radio station owned by Bell Media have signed union cards with CWA Canada, which filed for certification today with the federal labour board.

About two dozen employees who work as news writers, hosts, producers and technicians at News Talk 580 CFRA say the company’s cost-cutting mandate has caused a swift decline in staffing and created an ever-growing workload.

CFRA broadcasts to the national capital region, Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec. Its website features local and national news, radio show podcasts, contests and information about local events.

The organizing committee says in a mission statement that low pay overall, a lack of salary increases to keep pace with the cost of living, “coupled with discouraging wage caps (has created) an exhausting struggle to meet the standards that CFRA’s dedicated listenership has come to expect. During this era of indifference (staff) have propped up the station’s reputation, keeping ratings at a high level.

“We have advocated for meaningful change with management countless times to no avail. It has become clear that the only path forward is through collective bargaining.”

A strong majority of the non-management workers have signed union cards, which were filed electronically with the Canada Industrial Relations Board. The CIRB normally grants certification without requiring workers to vote on the matter.

“The situation has never been worse for part-time employees,” says the committee. “They are being left behind due to inconsistent scheduling and unassigned shifts.”

CWA Canada President Martin O’Hanlon welcomed the new members, saying they need a union because they are underpaid and overworked.

“These are some of the hardest working journalists in the country and they deserve much better pay and working conditions. We look forward to bargaining a collective agreement that respects the incredible work they do.”

Once formally unionized, the workers will form a unit within the Ottawa Newspaper Guild (CWA Canada Local 30205), which already represents employees at CTV Ottawa, an affiliate of CFRA.

“I commend the courage they showed to stand up for their rights and the conviction to make their working environment better and equitable. ONG looks forward to working with our newest members,” said Lois Kirkup, president of the Local.

She noted that neither CFRA nor CTV Ottawa are to be affected by cuts announced Wednesday by Bell Media.

MISSION STATEMENT