My fellow members, as of 2020, the independent membership portion of the Canadian Media Guild Freelance Branch will be moving to a new home at our parent organization, CWA-Canada.

This move will give our group more autonomy to run our own affairs while at the same time preserving the benefits we currently enjoy from being part of a national media union. CWA-Canada is the oldest and only all-media union in Canada, with about 6,000 members at 17 Locals across the country representing workers in the communications industry.

The really exciting part of this move is that it comes as our colleagues at PWAC, the Professional Writers Association of Canada, are preparing to vote on joining us at our new home.

With a positive outcome of the vote, this new organization, tentatively named the Canadian Freelance Guild, will swell to nearly 400 members and will become a force in advocating for better rights, contracts, and pay for freelance communications professionals across Canada.

For now, our website, cmgfreelance.ca, our Story Board blog, and our social media channels will all remain with the CMG Freelance brand while we make the transition. You can continue to renew your memberships, view webinars, ask me for advice, and take advantage of the other benefits you’ve been enjoying since you joined. In due time you will be sent new membership cards, and for those who have qualified, a new media card.

Unfortunately, this means leaving behind our freelance colleagues at CBC/Radio- Canada, which I regret deeply. I have represented them as individuals and at the bargaining table through a number of collective agreements for the past 20 years. I hope that our new organization can continue to work in some way with CBC freelancers as we all face similar challenges in pursuit of our careers.

From Thursday, December 5th until Monday, December 9th, our independent members have one more chance to vote in the CMG national elections. Contested positions include CMG President and Vice-President, as well as Director of Equity and Human Rights. You should have received an email on Thursday with your membership number and a passcode so you can vote electronically. Let me know if you don’t get that email or need to know more about the election.

There will be much more detail to follow in the coming weeks and months.

Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me with any questions that you have, at freelance@cmg.ca or 778-991-4439 (Pacific Time).

Regards,

Don Genova CMG Freelance Branch President