Grit's Step Up!

Who would have thought that Ottawa might get involved?Not me. As recently as yesterday I was predicting finger pointing and big words but little action out of Ottawa. But it appears that Labour Minister Joe Fontana is going to make Rabinovich and Amber an offer they can't refuse. His office has said as much: According to Fontana spokesperson Peter Graham ""I don't think this is an invitation either of them can turn down,"

Then this afternoon . Sam Bulte was out , Bulte, parliamentary secretary to Canadian Heritage Minister Liza Frulla. said

"We need you," Bulte told locked-out CBC employees on the picket line in Toronto. "You are the strongest cultural institution that we have. Without you we are not a country. "[The federal government] will do everything it can to build the CBC back because that's what we need for this country."

Bulte's full comments can be heard on CBCUnplugged, (Thanks Tod.)

Come what may on Monday, we can at least go into the weekend, and start week 7 on a positive note. Deep breath everyone - it's not over, but it's different!

A Clue

According to Tod at CBCUnplugged

CMG negotiator Arnold Amber has told picketers gathered in Simcoe Park that CBC negotiators were "pissed off" that the Guild presented a settlement offer. Arnold also says CBC management requested that the Guild not post
details of the settlement publicly on its web site. Discussions continue today.

The CMG extended an olive branch and CBC negotiators were 'pissed off' and asked them to keep it a secret. I think it's time for CBC negotiators to face a few realities.

1) This battle is being fought very publicly, virtually every detail is out there somewhere, in case the negotiators haven't had time to check the internet is overflowing with web sites, blogs, and more dedicated to this conflict. Every detail and possibility is examined, debated, contemplated, and reviewed for the world to see.

2) The Guild and the members feeding content to these sites need and demand information so it's fairly (but not completely) safe to say that there will be no media blackout or anything of the sort.

3) Once an agreement is finally reached, in whatever time exists between the release of that agreement and the vote, the agreement will be placed online, read, reviewed, dissected, analyzed, scrutinized, compared to other labour agreements (CBC and otherwise) by the members of CMG and other unions, all quite publicly, and then there will be a vote. None of it will be secret, nothing is going to be 'snuck in' the fine print will be scrutinized closely.

This is not other labour disputes, it is this one and in this one the rules have changed.

CMG extends olive branch

The lockout of CBC employees, now in it's 6th week, has been a disaster for management. From a long term management perspective it made about as much sense as George Bush deciding to invade Wisconsin and since day 1 management has lost the, very public, argument.

"The CBC's current paralysis has displayed to the whole country a profound management ineptitude of which the industry at large has been aware for a long time." - former CBC chairman Patrick Watson

"In the public-relations and psychological war that is the CBC lockout, the locked-out workers are winning, hands-down. ... The lockout has also had one unexpected result. Far from being fatigued by the lockout or engaging in in-fighting, the workers have been galvanized." - John Doyle, Globe and Mail

CBC management has slick websites, expensive advertising campaigns and a national network of TV and radio stations to tell the public why they locked out their employees. But they are getting stomped in the public relations war by a handful of computers, a few digital cameras and some cheap recording equipment. - Lou Arab, Rabble.ca

The list could go on forever. Now, despite the boards decision to ignore the situation, and ahead of next week's start of parliament (where Rabinovich & Co. would undoubtedly take a daily poinding in question period), the CMG has offered CBC Management a pre-packaged exit strategy. Today the CMG placed on the table a comprehensive offer on outstanding issues that delivers the flexibility that management needs (if less than it's asking for) while protecting current staff, freelancers and contract employees.

For a breif summary of the offer go here or here for the full text of the offer.

All management now has to do, is accept or accept with minor modifications the offer and the 5,500 CMG members who have been walking in circles for 6 weeks can come back inside, roll up their sleeves and try to repair the damage done by upper management's 'vision'.

Board: Everything's Swell

After their first meeting since the lockout began, the CBC Board of Directors released a statement today that seems to say - all is well.

On CBC's Audience:

we thank CBC/Radio-Canada listeners and viewers for their support
of the Corporation's creative talent and its programs. We are inspired by the
personal messages of the importance of public broadcasting to Canadians, and
we will do our best to keep faith with them.

On CBC Management:

we believe management's proposals are reasonable and prudent,
given the reality of our funding expectations.

and

We want to pay tribute to the President of the CBC/Radio-Canada, Robert
Rabinovitch, for his commitment to public broadcasting. We fully support the
strategic vision of his management team.

On the locked out workers:

We also want to pay tribute to the talent, skills and hard work of the
CMG members. They have produced work that is part of Canada's national
treasure. We look forward to welcoming them back to the jobs they do so well.

So, not to worry folks - the Board is responsible for the survival and health of the CBC and they seem to believe that everything is peachy.

One hopeful note though: Based on comments on another blog: If, as management insists only 5% of CBC employees are non-permanent (as opposed to the CMG number of 30%) perhaps this can all be ended with the following proposal - In exchange for consessions on other outstanding issues, the CMG could allow a full 10% of CBC to be other than full time permanent. (That's twice as flexible as before.)

Scattered

I'm feeling a bit scattered tonight, so forgive me if I ramble. I'm somewhat involved in many projects at the moment and many thoughts are racing through my head, some of which are somewhat related to those projects I mentioned.

I don't know what, if anything is about to happen, but I cannot help the feeling that somewhere wheels are turning (albeit a bit rustily). In Ottawa Parliament is about to resume and several MPs are making general unhappy noises about the lockout. In Montreal in a super secret bunker , shielded from high level radiation and Lise Lareau the CBC Board of Directors is meeting and at a hotel in downtown Toronto CMG and CBC negotiator tentatively agreed on pizza for dinner until the CBC side left to make a phone call and came back claiming lactose intolerance.

As I said, I have no idea what will come of it all, but I'm sure - given the public outcry - that if nothing else, Parliament will deal with the situation (right after softwood lumber and marijuana decriminilization).

Roncesvalles

No big news or immitations of profound insights tonight. But I would like to take a moment to congradulate the folks who braved the Roncesvalles Polish Festival this weekend.

From Susan Mahoney:

A group of locked-out CBC workers set up an information table at the annual street fair on Roncesvalles Avenue in Toronto's Parkdale-High Park riding. We felt it was a very successful activity. We collected hundreds of signatures on postcards to the prime minister, and on a petition to be presented in the House. It was also very heartening to hear from so many listeners and viewers who really miss our services.

Also, because it was a community event, we were able to connect with our MP, Sarmite Bulte. Ms. Bulte is parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage. She has been very active making telephone calls to the Minister of Labour and members of the CBC board of directors, and says she will do what she can to get us back to work as soon as possible.

Also, for anyone who hasn't done so, snag the Barenaked Ladies live track from cbcunplugged.com - it's definitely something worth holding on to.

Where we're at

CMG and CBC Management have apparently knocked out knocked out a few more minor issues at the table. Unfortunately there seems to be little progress on the major issues of contracting out, and perma-temp jobs. Until there is progress on these issues, there really isn't progress. The rest, I believe, could have been resolved without a work stoppage.

It is also now evident, to me at least, that there is no event which will cause management to back down. Hurricane Katrina has come and gone, the Terry Fox 25th Anniversary has come and gone, CBC has decided not to cover the Governor General's nomination, the fall season has launched, and it appears unlikely that hockey will start without workers in the building. I no longer believe that even an election or the Olympics will end this.

Upper management evidently does not understand public broadcasting in general, and therefore do not understand it's mandate. They appear willing to allow the CBC to die a quick brutal death if they are not allowed to proceed with their plans to kill it slowly.

So, what do we (meaning both CMG and the supporters of public broadcasting) do about it ? Well, I'm only one person and this is only my opinion but first, focus on those who can do something about it. Namely Parliament since they ultimately control the purse strings and the very existence of the CBC, the CBC's Board of Directors since they are responsible for hiring or removing management and will, should the CBC fail, be ultimately responsible and Rabinovich's inner circle. These are the people who can actually do something, they are the only ones worth fighting.

Those of you who are spending your time taking pot shots at others are not really helping anything. Most middle managers, and generally those outside the inner circle may not agree with CMG about everything, but I believe that most of them do not support Rabinovich's plan to kill the CBC either. Most of them, from what I've gathered and heard from them directly do understand and believe in public broadcasting and the people who make public broadcasting happen.

The other thing that I think needs to start happening is: We need to start at least contemplating revenue streams and names without CBC references for webcasting, online news and other projects. It's possible that without some kind of intervention that the "CBC" or at least a national public broadcaster in some form will have to be rebuilt without the buildings and without the CBC's other current assets and revenue.

Is this all very pessimistic? Yes. Is it realistic? Who knows, maybe it's just my mood today. But, I believe it's time to add 'hope for the best, plan for the worst' to the playbook.