Bargaining on CBC freelance issues underway

December 10, 2018 Editor News canadian media guildcbccollective bargainingnews

In November members of the CMG freelance bargaining subcommittee met with CBC management to begin negotiations on provisions for freelancers in the CMG-CBC collective agreement, which expires March 31, 2019.

The major issues under discussion are

- the proper use of contracts including:

- the appropriate use of the different categories

- when members should be hired as temporary vs. freelance contract

- the process to produce a contract or reasonable alternative before work begins

- clarity regarding freelancers who do temporary employee work as well

- appropriate language regarding the engagement of minors

- rates that reflect the value freelancers bring to CBC

Three more days of negotiations are planned for January. In the meantime, if you freelance at the CBC and have any concerns about the above issues, please get in touch with Freelance Branch President Don Genova at freelance@cmg.ca.

Don Genova, Freelance Branch President Alison Motluk, CMG Freelance Member Jonathan Spence, CMG-CBC Branch President Karen Wirsig, CMG Staff Representative

Getting freelance work with the CBC

October 25, 2018 Editor Advice advicecbccmg freelancelevel up: the conferencepitchingpwac

[caption id="attachment_15377" align="alignright" width="311"] Tanya Springer, Robyn Urback and Don Genova[/caption]Freelancing for CBC isn’t as easy as it used to be, but there are still gigs to be found at the Mother Corp. The “Getting Work With the CBC” panel at the recent Level Up conference in Toronto offered some insights into just…

New opportunities for freelancers with CBC Radio Doc Makers

September 05, 2018 Editor News cbc radiodoc mentorship programradio freelancingthe doc project

CBC Radio is offering new opportunities this fall for audio freelancers to develop their skills under the guidance of experienced CBC producers.The Doc Mentorship Program, which has been running for the past few years, is open to CBC employees, temps, and experienced Canadian audio freelancers. They program is looking for sound-rich, unique…

The Born Freelancer attends a CBC info session hosted by Field and Post

July 04, 2018 Editor Advice adviceborn freelancercbcfactual tvthe born freelancer

This series of posts by the Born Freelancer shares personal experiences and thoughts on issues relevant to freelancers. Have something to add to the conversation? We'd love to hear from you in the comments. The scene: A downtown Vancouver conference centre during a rainy Friday afternoon early last month. Two hundred or so independent…

Freelance Rates Rising at CBC/Radio-Canada

April 12, 2018 Editor News cbccmgfreelance compensation

The Canadian Media Guild and CBC have agreed to an across-the-board wage increase of 1.5% for 2018-19. This increase is also applicable to all the minimum rates applicable to Freelance Contributors.The increase is effective April 1st, 2018 and the new rates are posted in a downloadable Excel file on the CMG Freelance website along with other…

CBC Freelance Specific Services Contracts – Good Value or a Possible Minefield?

November 03, 2017 Editor Advice advicecbccbc freelancersfreelance compensationfreelance contracts

by Don GenovaLast month I went over the nuts and bolts of CBC's Freelance Contributor Contracts. But CBC also uses other kinds of contracts with freelancers. One of those is the Freelance Specific Services contract.For a type of contract that often gets used by the CBC to hire freelancers, it sure doesn’t say much about it in the collective…

Upcoming Doc Project mentorship program deadline October 15

October 04, 2017 Editor Event audiocbccbc freelancersradiothe doc project

Good news for freelance radio producers: there's another deadline coming up this month for the CBC Doc Project Mentorship Program.You'll need to get your pitches in by October 15th to be considered for this round of documentary production. The Doc Project is open to CBC employees and Canadian freelancers with demonstrated experience with audio.…

Back to School: The ABC’s of CBC Freelance Contracts

September 08, 2017 Editor Advice advicecbccbc freelancerscopyrightfreelance compensationfreelance contracts

by Don Genova There are actually A’s, and B’s, and C stands for Copyright in a typical CBC Freelance Contributor Contract, but I’ll get to those in a bit.With the new broadcast season, more local and national programs, radio, TV or digital, will be engaging freelancers to provide material for their shows in the form of interviews (some with…

Hey, CBC Freelancers, You’re Getting A Raise!

April 06, 2017 Editor News cbccbc freelancerscmgcmg freelancefreelance compensationfreelance contracts

By Don Genova, CMG Freelance Branch President Journalists who contribute to the CBC on a freelance basis are now subject to new minimum rates as of April 1, 2017. The Canadian Media Guild and CBC have agreed to a 1.5% across-the-board increase in rates contained in the collective agreement.This means the rates have risen by a total of 4.5% since…

Upcoming Doc Project Mentorship deadline February 1

January 17, 2017 Editor Journalism cbcfreelance opportunitythe doc project

A message from CBC Radio's mentorship program The Doc Project: It's that time again! CBC Radio's Mentorship applications deadline is Wednesday, February 1 In the past two years over 60 of your CMG colleagues gone through this unique professional development program, working intensively with veteran CBC producers/mentors to produce unique,…