Lockdown

Another day, another posting on the endless and tragic CBC lockout ...

But before I begin, I should say that it is virtually impossible for me to keep up with the incredible Todd Maffin who has been blogging the lockout news since day one. If you want the latest, bookmark him.

Eye -- a sister Torstar publication, it must be said -- has a bang-on editorial this week about the CBC lockout of 5,500 members of the Canadian Media Guild, now in their seventh week of pounding the pavement.

The piece argues that public sector unions -- and, I might add, crown corporations -- be prevented from going the labour disruption route. Specifically, no strikes, no lockouts. There are too many losers -- and most of them are ordinary citizens.

Public sector unions still hold on to the strike card (and, indeed, sometimes seem to strike more often than their private sector comrades) because they think that during a work stoppage, citizens who have to go without services will pressure the government to settle.

This is a risky strategy that often seems to backfire. In the seemingly biannual teacher strikes we've experienced in Toronto, the net effect has been that students and parents suffer, teachers go without pay and the general public gains an impression of "greedy teachers" who always go on strike for more money and less class time, despite salaries above average and a schedule allowing summers off. The message that teachers are standing up for education by striking never makes it through to the general public. Meanwhile, the school boards watch the savings pile up.

Think about CBC.  Top management has absolutely no incentive to end the dispute because there is no financial penalty in continuing it.

In a private company, losses would pile up as assembly lines ground to a halt and inventories dried up. Executive bonuses would shrink. Shareholders would scream and yell.

But CBC managers are getting paid extra to cover for the locked-out workers. There will be more money for them to play with after this is all over. There's no financial downside.

Think of it this way: It's as if striking workers were being paid their full salaries and benefits to walk the picket line.

Indeed, as Maffin notes today, Parliament's Heritage Committee is summoning CBC president/CEO Robert Rabinovitch, human resources VP George Smith, TV exec-veep Richard Stursberg and radio VP Jane Chalmers -- a.k.a. "The Gang of Four" -- to discuss this very issue. Hallelujah.

On the subject of our tax dollars, the Guild estimates that management spent some $250,000 to buy full-page ads in the papers today to present the spin on their latest offer, which came in late yesterday. Here's the thing: The ads had to have been bought earlier in the day, before the union saw the offer. Which doesn't say much for the good faith of management.

Actually, make that $250,500 dollars. That's because the ads misprinted the domain site directing newspaper readers to CBC's website for more information on the negotiations -- and CBC had to buy the misprinted one. Maffin again.

The CBC ad told people to go to cbc.negotiations.ca when, in fact, the address is cbcnegotiations.ca. The difference is only a period, but it's a big deal on the Internet. And a common mistake among people who aren't that familar with the web.

Speaking of the web, I'm told that the very fine worker-driven news site CBC Unlocked is coming down this weekend. (see update) That's because too many of the people involved have had to find part-time work, in addition to doing picket duty for their $200 or so (see update) a week, to pay their bills and feed their kids. Too bad. It was one of many innovations launched by the locked-out workers that proved how they are CBC, not the managers now inside.

Some of the CBC web people are upset that their brand new senior copy editor Andrew Meeson has quit. He has joined ... the Star. Before this lockout is over, we could see a lot more CBC talent flee for the private sector.

Way to go, gang of four.

Last but not least: Yesterday I put some questions to CBC officials regarding management pay. For example, I asked how many managers make over $100,000 p.a. (I am told more than 150 but I don't have that nailed down.) These people, who have non-contract jobs, not only are well-paid, they get performance bonuses of 15-20%, plus a supplemental pension. What's more, they have access to a guaranteed perk -- as part of the ''executive pay group'' -- which gives them additional funds for health club memberships, financial advisers, even car leases. (All this info came from a very reliable source.)

It has now been more than 24 hours since I asked these questions, and more than two weeks since I asked about the allegations regarding the hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions of dollars, spent on the management training touchy-feely sessions at the Niagara Institute, and I have yet to hear a word.

I think the public needs an accounting.

Don't you?

UPPITY DATE: As noted in the comments below, rumours of CBC Unlocked's death were greatly exaggerated. Also, picket pay is actually now at $300 U.S. a week, about $353 Canadian. The Guild is covering health benefits and life insurance.

Comments

[Sikander]

Great post on a crappy situation.

As a young journalism student, I know how many of us dream of working at the CBC. If you're a broadcast type, that's where you want to be when you're done.

This lockout has many of us wondering: If this is management's attitude towards the pros like Mansbridge, etc., how will the Mother Corp. treat us pups?

Sikander
The Pod
http://the-pod.blogspot.com/

[locked-out CBC cameraman]

Do you think CBS would lock-out Dan Rather?

[Alec Forbes, CBCUnlocked.ca Personell Coordinator]

CBCUnlocked Alive and Well

The rumours of our death are greatly exaggerated.

CBCUnlocked.ca is still running at full steam despite some technical difficulties over the last few days -- technical difficulties of the sort that a reader would probably never notice, but enough to make a webmaster shout "let's shut the whole damn thing down." Funny how rumours start.

We're planning to keep the site running just as long as we can, and we're organizing for a "Hockey Unlocked" special edition coming Wednesday Oct. 5. Some very special contributors are planned - will be one not to miss!

http://johngushue.typepad.com/blog/2005/09/cbcs_ad_in_the_.html

talks about the CBC reserve-blocking
ad space daily on a constant basis
in newspapers. Standard practice
and often the copy is delivered at the
last minute, or the "potential" ad
page is released and not used.
Deals are made and the price is a
lot cheaper than bandied about

[terry]

it is a lockout, not a strike.