Media

Unifor members at CTV Ottawa have ratified a new three-year deal with their employer this week.

“Congratulations to the bargaining committee for fighting for the needs of our members,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne.

“We all know the state the media sector is in and every contract our union bargains to strengthen wages and create more job security for journalists and media workers helps make their lives more stable.”

ST. JOHN’S—Unifor continues to advocate for its members and their work at The Telegram in St. John’s as Postmedia moves through the process to purchase most of the assets of The Telegram’s parent company, SaltWire Network, Inc.

TORONTO – Unifor is deeply concerned after Corus Entertainment Inc. – which owns Global News – announced job cuts that will affect Unifor media workers and journalists across the country.

“Every time an announcement like this comes in the media sector, it’s both heartbreaking and boils my blood,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. 

TORONTO—Unifor supports the Ontario government’s announcement today that it will direct key provincial agencies to ensure at least 25% of their ad spends will go to Ontario publishers, a move that encourages saving local news.

“We all know that community, regional and national news publishers have been facing and struggling with declining ad sales,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne.

TORONTO – Unifor is deeply concerned and outraged that Bell Media has once again announced restructuring plans, this time, giving notice to close to 50 Unifor media workers.

“This is a corporation that has made billions of profits at the end of last year and they continue to carry on with their profit-over-people principle,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. 

“This is yet another blow to journalism and democracy and a step towards bigger swaths of news deserts across Canada.”

Unifor representatives attended the 40th anniversary memorial of the tragedy at the Falconbridge mine in Sudbury, Ontario and presented Mine Mill Local 598 with a special award to honour their commitment to health and safety.

Mzwandile Poncana’s fellowship at the University of Toronto’s Investigative Journalism Bureau (IBJ), which Unifor has supported with funding, paved the way for a bright summer internship at the award-winning digital magazine, The Local.

“Unifor is proud to invest in the next generation of journalists by investing in the IBJ,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “As we know, journalism is the backbone of democracy and investments in local news to provide quality, fact-based journalism can only benefit Canadian society.”

TORONTO—Unifor applauds the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC)’s announcement today of new supports for local Canadian news, in conjunction with its regulatory plan to modernize Canada’s broadcasting framework.
 

“Unifor has been advocating for American streamers to pay their fair share to the Canadian broadcasting system for over 15 years,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne.

At a time when the Canadian media sector faces job cuts, news deserts and a struggle for supports to save local news, Unifor is proud to fund the Investigative Journalism Bureau at the University of Toronto and welcomes the work of its two interns in this year’s summer program.

“Our union is thrilled to support the next generation of journalists,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. 

On behalf of Unifor members, including more than 19,000 telecommunications workers at BCE and its subsidiaries, and more than 2,100 members at Bell Media, we are reaching out ahead of BCE’s 2024 annual general shareholder meeting on May 2.

The hard work and expertise of our members have made BCE a successful and profitable company and shareholders have been among the beneficiaries of this success.