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.
In both my journalistic and union roles, I have championed progressive ideas, positive solutions – and action. For example, while many people are lamenting the decline of print journalism and saying that something should be done about it, we’re actually doing something. Right now.

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.
As director, I would build on these developments to grow the union. At the same time, I’m deeply committed to our core function of serving members and I would uphold our proud tradition of ensuring that every member and Local gets what they need – from legal funding to rep support.

Here are some priorities I would like to move forward with in the next 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,

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.

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,
Ron Carroll

Secretary, Montreal Newspaper Guild
Copy editor, Montreal Gazette

Please feel free to call or email if you would like to talk about your concerns.