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More than 120 people rallied in front of Hamilton City Hall recently in support of local news and to protest the unfair termination and treatment of the unionized employees of CHCH TV.
Dedicated Unifor members at CHCH were fired when Channel Zero Inc. suddenly declared the subsidiary that created news for CHCH bankrupt. More than 100 employees were thrown out of work, with no notice and no severance, just two weeks before Christmas.
Within days of declaring bankruptcy, the station slashed local programming from 80 hours a week to 17.5 and resumed operations without recognizing the union or the collective agreement.
"We must change bankruptcy laws that put workers last," Unifor Ontario Director Katha Fortier told the February 29 rally. Fortier also criticized Channel Zero for failing to offer open positions at its other TV stations to employees let go in December.
“If it looks like union busting, and it smells like union busting, then it’s union busting” said former NDP MP Wayne Marston.
Anthony Marco, President of the Hamilton and District Labour Council, also slammed the CHCH parent company. “Channel Zero has zero respect for its workers, zero respect for seniority and zero respect for workers' rights.”
CHCH on-air personality Donna Skelly, who lost her job, encouraged viewers to use their clickers to show their displeasure and called on local business to boycott advertising on CH.
Flyers were also distributed to the crowd asking supporters to contact Channel Zero/CHCH to demand that the workers be treated fairly, including on social media: Twitter: @CHCHTV and Facebook: facebook.com/CHCHSuperstation
