By Connie Thiessen
Striking TVO journalists and producers have voted to accept a new collective agreement, ending 11 weeks of job action.
Members of the TVO branch of the Canadian Media Guild (CMG) walked off the job Aug. 21, seeking better wages after what the union said were below-inflation wage increases over the last decade, three years of wage freezes, and and improved job security for temporary staff.
The deal includes a wage increase of 7.7 per cent over three years, including three per cent retroactive to 2022, 2.75 per cent in 2023, and 1.75 per cent in 2024. The union says the agreement also improves access to permanent job opportunities for temporary staff.
Workers previously voted down a similar offer in early October billed as the Ontario public broadcaster’s “final offer.” According to a TVO release issued at that time, the agreement brings the average salary for a unionized employee with more than five years of service (excluding The Agenda host Steve Paikin) to approximately $89,000, with CMG members in their first five years of employment with TVO continuing to be eligible for annual “step” increases, averaging 4.3% per year, on top of proposed annual wage hikes.
“Although we acknowledge this is not what we were hoping for, all the members of the bargaining team feel this is the best we can get at this time, given that we are a 74-member branch up against an employer that was aiming for major concessions,” said Meredith Martin, president of the TVO branch, in a statement.
Photo of Canadian Media Guild (CMG) members on the picket line outside 2180 Yonge Street on Sept. 28, 2023 (X/@TVO_CMG)
