EDMONTON – According to the Telecommunication Workers Union (TWU) and the B.C. and Alberta Federations of Labour, four Calgary radio stations refuse to run radio spots in support of locked-out Telus workers. The radio campaign calls on customers to disconnect from Telus.
The 30-second radio spots, which start today, will run four-to-five times daily in Edmonton, Fort McMurray and throughout B.C. It’s considered a “heavy rotation,” notes Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL) President Gil McGowan, of the three week campaign, with a substantial budget of over $250,000 ($120,000 going for Alberta placement).
The four radio stations allegedly refusing to…
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GATINEAU – The CRTC Thursday asked the industry how it should – or if it should – regulate TV on the mobile phone handset.
As reported last month by www.cartt.ca, this issue has been emerging from behind the scenes throughout 2005 as both Bell Mobility, Rogers Wireless and Look Communications announced plans to offer television channels to its mobile customers.
When those announcements happened earlier this year, the Canadian Association of Broadcasters sent a letter to the Commission asking it to make a determination as to how TV to the handset should be regulated under the Broadcast Act.
“In…
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BURNABY – While Telus says that more than half of its unionized employees are crossing the picket lines, the Telecommunications Workers Union says that’s not so.
"It appears that Telus is trying to damage our morale with these statements, but their ploy isn’t working," said TWU president Bruce Bell in a release.
"Since the beginning of this dispute, I’ve been saying that we have the support of 86% of our members. That’s the percentage that voted ‘yes’ when we conducted our strike vote last year. Now we can offer a precise estimate of the number of members who are…
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BURNABY – While the second quarter press release still intimated Telus may not launch its terrestrial digital television service, CEO Darren Entwistle told financial analysts today in a conference call that Telus TV’s launch is a matter of when, not if.
The when will come once the company’s labour problem is finalized. While the company has imposed its latest contract offer after 4.5 years of going without a contract with its workers, the union called a general strike.
Today, the company said 70% of its unionized workers nationally are still coming in to work and that the two sides will…
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VANCOUVER – A strong performance by the company’s wireless division helped lead Telus Corporation to strong revenue and income growth in the second quarter of 2005, ended June 30th.
Consolidated operating revenues in the quarter came in at $2 billion, up 8% from a year ago while operating income was up 24%. Earnings per share for the second quarter were 53 cents, up 10% compared from Q2 2004 and net income was $189.5 million, a 10% increase.
While praising the company’s results Telus president and CEO Darren Entwistle also addressed the current strike by its employees in British Columbia…
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VANCOUVER – In a decision rendered late Wednesday, the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta issued an interim order that addresses the concerns that led to Telus disabling access to the www.voices-for-change.com web site.
Telus had blocked the union-supported site from view of any of its Internet subscribers.
According to a Telus press release, the Alberta Court order prohibits the Telecommunications Workers Union (TWU) and its members and anyone else having knowledge of the order from posting for public viewing on any website any photographs or identifying features with the intent of intimidating or threatening Telus employees, contractors,…
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GATINEAU – Full marks for decision speed on this one as Telus today received its broadcast distribution undertaking license.
The hearing on the license was on June 6th.
The license is for the following regions: Rimouski, Saint-Georges, Sept-Îles, Baie-Comeau, Gaspé, Montmagny and Sainte-Marie, and their surrounding areas – the same wired coverage regions of the company’s regional telephone division, Telus Quebec (once known as Quebectel).
www.crtc.gc.ca
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TORONTO – A survey released today done on behalf of Bell Canada, Aliant, Sasktel, Télébec and Telus says that Canadians want their incumbent telephone companies to be free of regulation when it comes to offering voice over Internet protocol telephony.
“Ninety-four percent agree that all VOIP service providers, including established telephone companies like Bell Canada, Aliant, SaskTel, Télébec, and Telus, should be subject to the same regulatory rules (38% believe this strongly),” says Wednesday’s press release on the survey done by Ipsos-Reid.
Furthermore: • Three-quarters believe traditional telephone companies should be allowed to compete and offer lower prices for…
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I WAS A UNION MEMBER TWICE: For several summers as a labourer installing gas pipeline in Northern Ontario and for a four month stint as a part-time Bookmobile driver and librarian in Guelph, Ont.
I lived for a few years in Sault Ste. Marie and saw what the Steelworkers have had to go through there with Algoma Steel. I lived in Windsor for three years and the Canadian Auto Workers union was always front and centre.
I say all this to illustrate that I think I have a bit of a grasp on what the union/corporation relationship can be….
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OTTAWA – All the regional telcos used to work together to lobby the government like this under the old Stentor Alliance – an working group that was disbanded years ago when they all decided to compete with one another.
Today, the remaining former Stentor members (with one notable exception) held a joint press conference to make official their appeal to Federal Cabinet over the CRTC’s voice over Internet protocol decision.
The decision, as reported on numerous occasions by www.cartt.ca, says that incumbent telcos have to abide by existing telecom regulations in the way of win-back rules, tariff applications, and…
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