How much longer?

I’ll tell you straight off that I don’t know the answer.

But maybe I know more than some, so here’s what i know:

Real negotiations have not started yet. What is going on is talking about talking. Or rather, talking about the oft-metioned 40 (or is it 41?) issues in smaller groups so that they can get back together and start negotiations proper. when that happens they talk about what they talked about, and write it into the collective agreement – your “contract.”

And by “smaller groups” I don’t mean a few guys sitting around the Starbucks patio at John and Wellington. I mean big rooms in a nice hotel with 2 big tables facing each other and 12 people on either side. The protocol involved in seating and room entrance would confuse an 18th century courtier.

The working draft for the collective agreement is huge – hundreds of pages. You need 2 hands to carry it. They have been working on it for 15 months and it is a complicated document. It has been continuously debated, refuted, rewritten, and approved by countless bureaucrats and lawyers. You can imagine how verbose such a book would be, and how slow it would be written.

Now the agreement doesn’t need to be finished, printed, and bound before you can come back to work. They can agree to agree in the future and come up with some sort of arrangement in the short term whereby you come to work while they sort out the fine print in a hotel room.

This is probably what will happen. It would be insane for either side to hold the guys on the line hostage while they plowed through every line on the collective agreement. It would take months, if not years.

So when they say they have reached agreements on certain issues, like they said on Friday, they are chipping away at the small stuff first, agreeing in principle, and trying to work towards a settlement.

In the dance of negotiations, the CBC now has the upper hand, but they also have to be careful becuase CMG members are still in a strike position until ink on the agreement is dry. So they want to be pretty sure this is going to work before they make some kind of settlement, unlock the doors, and risk a strike.

There are 40 issues to resolve. This is a lot. And before they can come to a settlement, they have to see eye-to-eye on these issues and be pretty sure that they won’t get screwed by the other side after the doors are unlocked.

So now you know what I know. The real question is: How long does it take 40 rooms of 24 hotheads to settle 40 arguments?

My guess is that it will be at least 2 weeks before we get an idea of when a settlement will come.

36 Comments

  • Anonymous says:

    I couldn’t agree more with red_badger. While I haven’t had to do struck work, the folks who are doing it are working hard to make the best of a very bad situation. I get to do my job, along with “disruption-related” work to supplement my already to-busy day. Not scab labour, simply tasks that wouldn’t have existed if the negotiators (or executives or whoever the hell you want to blame) had been able to do their job.

    This whole situation is stupid on so many levels.

    Knocking out the union’s legs is certainly bad for the union. Making the Corp an unfriendly work environment certainly threatens our long term usefulness. Ironically, this labour disruption is doing quickly what the CMG is complaining the Corp wants to do slowly.

    What’s going on here? Do folks really feel that if they can’t have CBC their way, then nobody should be able to have the CBC?

  • red_badger says:

    A small point – To everyone who thinks that CBC managers are making out like bandits and raking in the cash to buy more luxury cars and purebred poodles, I can tell you that not all of us are getting a $$ lift on the long hours we’re putting in and those who are, I can assure you, would much rather be doing their own jobs, not yours. There is not a soul in this building who thinks they’re producing better programming than what would be on air if you were inside – we’re just doing what we have to do under crappy circumstances. Tell your union you want to come back to work – we want you back too – hopefully we’ll have a deal soon so we can all get back to normal and stop wasting our time bi-atching at each other.

  • Anonymous says:

    Oh Yeah Baby!- Bobby and Dickie now have some new buddies on board. Time to rape the Mother Corp.& feed our brown nose networking gang. Seems like many heads have been let go to give way to outside friends who have never even watched or listened to the CBC. The heads of the CRTC licence renewal at the CBC have been replaced by SG & friends. Alain Pineau head of Galaxy has been let go for no reason but to only allow movement for some of Bobby & Dickie’s old friends, to come to play in the sandbox. Our wonderful head of HR in negotiations has left because of an endless migrane. OOPs somebody else left also – No wait says Bobby…really, Slawko was the one to leave. Not sticking around for this one says the CBC Ombudsman who also pulled the parachute right after Carole Taylor jumped off with a heart torn parachute. Here says Paul to Bobby – you grab the wheel & drive the board now.
    Shame shame shame. Hey Bobby & Dickie – if your so keen on turning the CBC into another private media venture – real business minds would of started a network from the scratch, ground up – not rape an already established institution called the CBC – Oh I forgot you can’t build anything in the sandbox in the first place – just destroy pre-built castles.
    Long Live the CBC BUT without these Goons !

  • Anonymous says:

    re comments like ‘Why not spend some of those OT $$s taking a locked out worker out to a swank lunch’. I walked in circles in 81, 99 and 01 with Nabet & CEP and I don’t recall any lunches let alone swank ones from my Guild coworkers. Don’t ever lose any sleep over cheap shots like that

  • Anonymous says:

    Hi Ouimet,

    While I think it is peachy that you are sharing your view from inside…what would be really swell would be to see a few managers out on the picket lines celebrating Labour day in style tomorrow. Why not spend some of those OT $$s taking a locked out worker out to a swank lunch ..or better still dropping a few bucks into the CMG emergency fund? Might just help some of you clowns sleep at night.

  • Anonymous says:

    Tony and George must be ready to flip their lids. The biggest story in North American since 911…and they can do Fu…ll about it. The Toronto Star is doing great Coverage. I don’t have Newsnet so I can’t tell how CTV is doing. The Amnets are doing the best they can to cover George’s ass. On CBC main nets and NO-NEWSWORLD..reruns of Antiques Roadshow. Had to remind the wife she saw that one three times already. In Newfoundland the last of our provinces to leave Britains tit it’s an insult to have national news for the Colony’s come from the UK…Little or no weather. George H came to a workshop a year or so ago and said when we get a new contract things will be different. I don’t think he or anyone else expected the fight they are getting. Remember a couple of years ago when The Redekopp way was to do what the The Aussies were doing. No one it seems can come up with a way to run a Broadcasting operation with fresh ideas. I used to get messages about some vice president of this or that being hired..but i don’t see people leaving these positions..all new hires…are they signing contracts until they can prove they know how to do the job….or if times change can the cbc dump them on a whim..not likely..beaucrats like Bobby and Dickie know how to suck at the trough. Now their inviting some of their friends over.

  • Anonymous says:

    I’m just a TV watcher looking at the lockout from the outside. From here it looks an awful lot like “union busting.” Could this be the first step in privatizing CBC? Only Paul Martin knows for sure.

  • Laurence says:

    Sorry, but if hockey and the election are the only thing CBC is good for then…we’re certainly not what we should be….and we’re halfway to toasted.
    That stuff is beancounter crap. It’s the stuff we do while we’re waiting for our REAL job. Which is covering, and giving a distinct Canadian voice to, stories like Katerina/New Orleans.
    We’re a bit like firemen. We have a thing to do and we usually do it well. But the rest of the time is waiting…and watching hockey. Everything else is filler. Which, to our credit, we occasionally do quite well too.

  • Anonymous says:

    But anyone who thinks that the union has the upper hand — why, because of a few self-important podcasts filled with cheapshots and immaturity? — needs to take a serious look at the reality of their situations.

    Because we know that that 10% is fairly vocal?

    Because we know now that summer is over that 10% will grow?

    Because we know that the heat is being turned up to get this resolved by government, advertisers, the NHL and the CFL?

    Because we know that the folks on the inside (many of whom were barely on board to begin with or only on board because of threats) are now getting tired and more stressed out all the time?

    Because we know that Hockey season and an election are coming and they don’t really have the personnel to handle that?

    Just a few thoughts

  • TribbleKat says:

    Hey, “Ouimet,” If I were you, I’d be careful not to irritate these people.

    After all, Tod Maffin at CBC Unplugged knows your real name.

    Wait, maybe that’s why your tone has changed: When CBC management finds you, you want them to find you singing the company song. (Smart move: It will probably be worth even more than the cash and prizes you’re getting now.)

    Good luck with that, really. I think it’s only right that the Corp. pay a lot of money to cover the cost of a soul.

  • Anonymous says:

    Ok.So you lock us out. You make 10-15% more. Plus bonuses. Plus overtime. Because we are locked out… no, there isn`t anything unfair about this at all. Rabinovitch states “we won`t mortgage the CBC“. But if the locked out employees bringing home just over $200 a week have to remortgage their homes…. oh well.
    I`m sure some managers are working incredible hours to do our jobs, but the ones who are at home all day surely do not deserve the increase and bonuses.
    Why would some managers ever want to get us back to work?

  • Anonymous says:

    how about committing to donate every penny earned above your base salary to a charity of your choice?

    What would that accomplish? Many of the managers are there out of circumstance, and were not involved in the decisions that led to this.

    And now they have to work in this situation and you don’t want them to get paid for the extra hours they put in?

    I would expect better from a group of workers demanding a fair contract.

  • Anonymous says:

    Do people commenting on here actually believe the union has the upper hand?

    CMG members are locked out. They will only be allowed back when management opens the doors.

    PR war? A recent poll suggested most people in Canada don’t even notice a difference on the CBC. A large number of people don’t even know a labour dispute is even happening to the public broadcaster.

    Don’t get me wrong, I love the CBC and the people who produce the what’s on it.

    But anyone who thinks that the union has the upper hand — why, because of a few self-important podcasts filled with cheapshots and immaturity? — needs to take a serious look at the reality of their situations.

  • Anonymous says:

    To Bobby and Dicky Post: Very funny indeed. Bobby and Dickie sounds like a JC Mellencamp song. And I liked the imaage of the two of them in the sandbox!

    But of course the “managers” don’t like talking about images. Reminds them too much of this damn TV thing, which of course requires constant feeding of images. And I think it is pretty obvious that they have been TOLD not to talk about programming.

    Anyway, the post was great. And you know, one thing you can say about Bobby and Dicky: They have provided fodder for satire for years to come!

  • Anonymous says:

    Just read the Fall season new series programming line-up for all Networks. All other networks (CTV, Global, City, CH) have between 7 to 9 new shows starting this Fall. The CBC has only one – an extension of what is already existing – just the title has been modified- DaVinci’s City Hall. These programming decisions were made prior to the Lock Out. Seem like our glory boys at the top are still doing what they do best – NOTHING !
    SHAME SHAME SHAME !
    p.s. I see a pattern now with Strusberg. He also mentioned at the last employee conference that CBC will stay with what worked best last – documentary mini series (Trudeau). Now we also continue with Da Vinci – “But wait says Bobby to Dicky in the sandbox- we fed that to viewers last season and we have nothing new. That’s ok Bobby says Dicky, so that it appears that we have something new we will just slightly change the name- nobody will notice…..”
    I bet ya Strusberg’s mother had to also fight hard to get little Dick to eat something different – seems he tried one thing once and that’s all he ever wanted to eat after.

  • The Naked Gord Program says:

    The lack of real coverage of current events is seen at it’s most obscene now with Katrina. I saw all the faces of African Americans left behind on the news and I was baffled no talking heads on CTV or the US networks (I won’t even bother mentioning Fox News or Global) made mention of this. It’s taken till now. Till a rapper finally stated what is right in front of our faces. Not the CBC. Not Peter Mansbridge. Not George Strempelous (or however his name is spelt.

    This is the shame of the CBC lock out. This is the shame of Rabinovitch.

    The world should be using the CBC lens as the only honest network in North America. The only honest voice. Even CNN which has done a decent job during disaster of a disaster relief still has Wolf Blitzer saying crap like “So poor and so black”. Even their acknowledgement of the racism of this disaster is racist. Yet the CBC give me more antiques. It started off as a joke but now I’m really wishing I would have learned french years ago so I could get some truth from RDI. And I’m wondering if that may be the only choice for the future.

    From the Tea Makers blog it seems that management is hell bent on getting their agenda through. They have it planned out for months in advance. I suppose that plan includes pulling out more archive tapes of “This hour has 7 days” or whatever for Newsworld and more topless women ala Old School.

    I’m getting the impression that the management of CBC would be quite content if the progressive voice of the “Mother Corp” would wither away and die. With the “McJobs” that is being proposed in the contract negotiations I wouldn’t be surprised if they used this as a barometer to find out whose “right” for the position if you get my pun. I wouldn’t be surprised if the world renouned coverage of Peter Mansbridge and The National/Journal (yep I watched the CBC as a kid and I’m still calling it that :p and while we’re on that topic the great orange logo should have stayed) will end when Mr. Mansbridge retires. If you’re working a McJob there really isn’t the time or energy to dig deep to get to the truth. There’s too much time being eaten up by trying to stay afloat in your own life.

    If the bigwigs at CBC get their way I might as well follow my life long dream of working for the CBC. After all I’m allowed to work up to one shift a week on disability and I imagine that’s what the new “CBC” will look like. Part timers, journeymen, people with no real devotion to the truth. At least I’ll have the latter. Hell I’d apply now if I didn’t have this pesky moral thing against crossing a union line. ;)

    The CBC’s apparent lack of interest in any sort of real news coverage during the lock out is an omen. The coming of the PBS’ing of CBC. Better get a parka Tucker Carlson. Looks like you’ll be heading north.

    The unedited video of West telling the truth that the workers at CBC have been gagged from telling

    Like a town cryer I’ve posted this to every CBC lock out victim blog I saw that looked active and allowed comments. The end of the CBC could be here unless the federal government steps in soon. But perhaps that’s what the “liberal” Martin wants. btw – I did not mispell cryer. The most you can accuse me of is a bad pun over a bad situation in the corp.

    http://cbcfan.blogspot.com/2005/09/kayne-westkatrina.html

  • Anonymous says:

    “Or maybe you are just a manager trying to make it seem like the workers are not united.”

    I think you’ve hit the nail on the head. The things the poster mentioned are directly out of Management talking points.

  • Anonymous says:

    I am really hesistant to get behind this idea of working on an interim contract. On one hand I like it because we can start providing our audience with good programming again and stop the bleed of our loyal viewers and listeners.
    On the other hand, I am fearful that management would see it as a sign of weakness in the workers resolve. Now, we all know that’s just not the case. If anything there is increased militancy among most (hey management you reap what you sow). But this management is so delusional they may take such an agreement to mean we are weakening, rather than what it would be. The workers once again, putting the future of public broadcasting above all else.

    I am torn.

  • Anonymous says:

    Ouimet, you had me convinced you knew what you were talking about, except for a major fact error in your analysis today. The strike mandate given to the CMG is valid for only 60 days. It runs out on September 16. So, given the current time frame, management wouldn’t have to worry about opening the doors, then risking a strike. Besides which, there isn’t a case in Canadian labour history where such a scenario has taken place.

  • Anonymous says:

    To the person who wrote they are on contract and love it because it gives you control of your career. Congratulations (though I’d really like to know how you feel in control). Since the CBC employs nearly 30% of its workers on a temporary basis you won’t ever have to be staff if you don’t want to be.
    But, you don’t speak for the vast majority of temp workers (contract, casual or freelance). Some people choose it for their own personal reasons and that is fine. Most do not. You are not the average temp worker (I used to be one). As for your thoughts on decertifying, I hope there is a way for you to do so. No one wants someone who is so completely selfish and without empathy for others on our team. Empathy is such an important part of being a good journalist, I wonder if you really are very good at what you do. Or maybe you are just a manager trying to make it seem like the workers are not united. They are and will continue to be.

  • Nonamuss says:

    Ouimet, jousting aside, I have a serious question for you: If the union had the upper hand, rather than management, what would be the signs? How could you tell?

    I ask because your statement that mgt has the upper hand has drawn so much comment from people who perceive things differently. Some of this might be dismissed as partisanship, but not all. I’m really curious about the yardsticks you/management might be using.

  • Anonymous says:

    So CBC is handing both labour day games to TSN. How will management work that into a self-congratulatory memo I wonder? After all, if the announcer-free CFL game was such a huge success, why doesn’t the CBC use it for the Labour Day classic?
    Could it be the earlier memo wasn’t completely honest?
    I’m shocked! Shocked!

  • Anonymous says:

    I am a contract employee, and I am very good at what I do. I love being in contract as it gives me control on my career. Anyone who is confident in their skills should feel the same.

    I don’t share the views of the CMG representatives, and I suspect that many others feel the same as I do.

    Does anyone know the process for decertification?

  • Anonymous says:

    CBC has the upper hand?

    Doubt it.

    Managers are trying to cover one of the biggest stories of the year.

    They are failing miserably. They, and what’s left of our audience, know it.

    The tide is turning.

    I say we stay out until the managers drop from exhaustion. Then, with fewer people to perform struck work, Dick, Jane and Bobby will be up the proverbial creek.

    They will have to deal or move on (hopefully, it’s both).

    They started this one.

    Canadians are now returning from their holidays and are finding out the CBC isn’t there.

    They will start to pay attention and ask who is responsible.

    It ain’t us, folks.

    I am getting more militant by the day…which I find quite surprising. I used to be a conservative person when it came to labour issues.

    Not any more.

    A deal will only happen when both sides are squeezed into reaching a settlement.

    We won’t get there if there is a cooling off period, or we have to go back to work under management-imposed “conditions”.

    Under those scenarios, things will just fester. For ever.

    Let’s just stay put, stick together and let management sweat it out a bit longer.

    Then it will be time to lance this boil. Only then can the healing begin.

  • Anonymous says:

    Blog readers: Seems the furry creatures with the upper hand have suffered another setback… I mean another opportunity to thrill sports fans with repeats of repeats of repeats.

    Can’t wait top see what Jason says about this one.

    TSN to carry both games of Argos-Ticats Labour Day showdown

    TSN will broadcast the entire two-game Labour Day showdown between the Toronto Argonauts and Hamilton Tiger-Cats… CBC was originally scheduled to carry the Sept. 10 game as well as the Labour Day contest Monday at Ivor Wynne
    Stadium, but an ongoing labour dispute has forced the CFL to move both to TSN…

    http://money.canoe.ca/News/Sectors/Entertainment/2005/09/02/1200045-cp.html

  • Nonamuss says:

    I think it’s delusional for CBC management to think it has the upper hand.

    The timing of the lockout had everything to do with their view that summer is a sleepy time in broadcasting. Why not give the CMG time to reflect on a picket line, as Fred and Krista would put it? The problem is, CMG members has a keen sense of injustice and won’t cave. The problem is, CBC is not just about hockey or the fall launch.

    The CBC is humiliating itself with its pathetic coverage of Katrina. It shows the gamble involved in the “sleepy summer” gambit.

    Talk about mortgaging CBC’s future.

  • Laurence says:

    Talk about fiddling while Rome burns….
    If can’t get our act together soon and get on with covering the breaking news, then our raison d’etre ceases to be.
    If Mr Rabinovitch wants to revolutionise the CBC, he’s going about it the right way. Our credibility is leaking away by the hour.
    But maybe it doesn’t matter, if we only want to be The Hockey Channel.
    No wonder ‘Loyalist’ is laughing at us. This time out, he’s right.

  • Anonymous says:

    Readers of blog: For a real overview on the situation, read:

    CBC 52: Fort Confusion
    entry at:
    http://robinrowland.com/garret/

  • Loyalist says:

    The CBC seems to be managing just fine without its regular broadcast lineup.

    I’m listening to Radio Two right now; it’s never been more enjoyable to listen to.
    No inane chatter, no inside jokes, no pompous artsy commentary, just straight up orchestral music.

    The BBC puts the CBC regulars to shame with their style and professionalism; the managers’ no-nonsense just-the-facts news reporting recalls CBC’s better days.

    The people locked inside the TBC are doing a yeoman’s job under incredible pressure. You all should be commended for your efforts.

  • Anonymous says:

    In the dance of negotiations, the CBC now has the upper hand

    First, the people outside the building are the CBC, the people inside are a handful of misguided managers, being directed by a handful of career bureaucrats. They’ve taken the facilities hostage, but they are not the CBC.

    As for the upper hand, while the union is winning out over management, the viewers are being screwed and the CBC as a Canadian institution is bleeding to death, regardless of who scores the most points today.

    I will join with others in calling for the resignation or removal of Stursberg, Rabinovich and Smith.

    ‘Fred and Krista’ should polish up their resumes as well.

  • Anonymous says:

    I also don’t know by what stretch of the imagination management is winning. I don’t know what is being done with the language on most of it at the moment, but the big issue here – the one on contract employees is dead. Management won’t get that, they won’t even get a compromise on it. The people I’m talking to on the line are more adamant about it than they were in mid-August, and if CMG came back with a deal that included it, it would be voted down.

    Management is not going to win this and once it’s over, I will join with others in calling for the resignation or removal of Stursberg, Rabinovich and Smith.

  • Anonymous says:

    Yes union busting is a complicated process.

    Here’s a time saving tip: Managment could agree to the current collective agreement language and sign the agreement tonight. The current language is already full of concessions and compromises that past and present flexible unions agreed to when CBC went through major budget cuts. The fact is : CMG is not really asking for anything, we just want to keep what we have. Everyone seems to be forgetting that.

    Bureaucracy is not the problem here. Hotheads are not the problem. It’s hidden agendas. Just admit it — CBC is union busting.
    Happy Labour Day weekend.

  • Anonymous says:

    You are out to lunch. You write a big long entry with absolutely nothing in it that everyone doesn’t already know. Then you slip in CBC has the upper hand. You’re wrong. Just because the workers are locked out does not mean they are not powerful. Every labour analyst, every former negotiator commentator who has commented on this lockout agrees that whoever wins the PR war in the first 6-8 weeks has the upper hand (or has “the angels on their side” as I read one say recently. Well, the locked out workers have won the PR war hands down (even you can’t argue with that, it’s a slam dunk). In fact, there have been repeated calls for Rabinovitch’s head on a platter and sometimes those calls include lesser known Stursberg and Smith. You’re either delusional or you actually believe what you read and hear on the inside. It’s a great big world out here and you seem to be dangerously out of touch with it. Oh, did you know there was a devastating Hurricane in the US?
    Did you know Canadians are helping, either individually or as part of the official aid effort. Did you know the CBC TV is covering it like community access cable? Ouimet, you are clearly enjoying your 15 minutes of fame and losing credibility with every post.

  • Anonymous says:

    Hello Oimet -fron Neutron. One point to watch for concerning the quality of the written language between the two parties is the increase in money added to the grievance fund. If felt that there remains many loopholes from hurried language the amount of money given in the deal to the union will increase as contested clauses put into practice will cause an increase in legals for such grievances. I believe its time for the public to know not neccessarily the increase but the actual total cost of legals these grievances have cost to both sides due to improper rushed language. (did I say that lawyers enjoy sloppy language as it brings work for the firm).I agree with you that a return to work protocol would be good as they take the time needed to refine what was agreed to in the language before signing. This refining should be done by a neutral firm of non-lawyers not partisan to any side. Now Bobby can talk about saving money wisely to the board.

  • Anonymous says:

    I know it’s tough for some managers who basically have to do scab labour or lose their jobs (the old “following orders” defence), but if you want to win the respect of your locked-out colleagues how about committing to donate every penny earned above your base salary to a charity of your choice? Then we’ll know that you’re sincere. It’s very easy to be sympathetic when you’re raking in the cash. Our cash.

  • Anonymous says:

    As someone who is at the table it’s clear you don’t know much.

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