August 1, 2006

A Canadian shell game

By Michael Ulreich
President, Chicago Newspaper Guild

In all the information that’s been sent out since the CWA convention, what seems to be missing, from CWA sources anyway, is any information at all on what turned out to be the second major dispute at the convention: the shell game played with the Newspaper Guild’s Canadian delegation.

Shortly after the delegates somewhat narrowly approved a new strategic and controversial shift of defense fund monies into a new offensive movement, the CWA granted the Canadians their own region in the CWA and the convention surprisingly gave them their own executive vice president. In the beginning, anyway.

Canadian chairman Arnold Amber was the perfect candidate for the new position and later that night, at the events that were held after the day’s proceedings, the Canadians seemed very pleased. Afterall, they had expected to lose the vote on getting their own  vice president, the CWA’s  resolutions committee has already turned them down and recommended that the issue be revisited in the convention planned for 2007 in Toronto.

But on the first day of the convention, shortly after the Strategic Funds initiative was passed, the Canadians were granted their own vice president.

There was speculation that the initial vote on the new VP went the Canadians’ way because the convention delegates were weary after the extended battle over the future use of CWA strategic funds and didn’t really understand what they were voting on, although the closeness of the initial vote on the issue had forced the room to divide into two sides so the chair could determine who had the most votes. A motion to take a roll call vote by computer, which requires 20 percent of the room to raise their hands, also failed.

Amber is a producer for the Canadian Broadcasting Co., and he had spent the last month or so explaining his negotiations with the CWA to American Guild members. He made a special appearance in May at a District Council meeting in Toledo to plead his case. Amber noted that the CBC was the largest employer represented by the Guild in the U.S. or Canada. He said that Canada needed its own region and administrative structure because the country had different politics, different languages and different labor law, as well as national health insurance. Those peculiarities, Amber said, made the Canadians unique in the CWA structure.

“The CWA in Canada should operate within a structural framework which recognizes its own national context instead of the situation now where its membership is divided between two districts dominated by U.S. members,’’ says the Memorandum of Understanding regarding CWA Operations in Canada.

Canada, it said, is under the jurisdiction of a federal government and 10 provinces, “none of which has anything to do with the U.S. Department of Labor.’’

“We have more than doubled in size over the past 10 years and expect our growth to continue…We have done our share,’’ Amber said, in making the Guild successful. “Our own common interests don’t stop at the border. We’re part of the TNG and the only way we’re not going to be part of it is if you throw us out.’’

(A distinct possibility, reading the emotions of the New York delegation, who questioned the Canadians at a finance committee meeting on their financial agreement with the CWA. A motion made in the Guild finance committee to have American delegates approve the new Canadian agreement with the CWA failed with a tie vote, with the deciding vote cast by Philadelphia local president Henry Holcomb.)

Bernie Lunzer, Guild secretary-treasurer, noted the CWA has come to the rescue of the Canadians, spending $10 million on the CBC’s successful repulse of a lockout, which would have been impossible under TNG’s meager $2.4 million defense fund.

The CWA’s agreement with Canada allowed the Canadians to make all policy and operational decisions affecting Canadian members as a Canadian Region of the CWA and an autonomous entity within both the Newspaper Guild and the CWA, with a National Director to TNG-CWA Canada.

New York seemed to object to the stipulation that the Canadian Region would be self-sufficient, with Canadian dues payments remaining in Canada, although they would continue to make contributions to the Member Relief Fund and CWA Defense Fund.
The Canadian director would resolve disputes between Canadian members and their locals and the CWA executive board would approve all strikes, on the recommendations of the Canadian director.

“Belonging to a truly international union with more Canadian members and presence will make CWA in Canada more attractive to potential new members,’’ said the memo of understanding, which I suspect was written by Mr. Amber.

The morning after the vote, while I was getting coffee, still a bit shaken from partying with some Canadians the night before, a friend of mine from New York told me I’d better return to the hall to vote because they were reconsidering the Canadian question. I  returned in time to vote against the motion, which was made to overturn the previous day’s vote creating the new Canadian vice president.  But this time the vote turned negative, the Canadians lost by a vote of 218,571 to 211,083, the Canadian initiative was denied and the Canadians walked out, later convening by the hotel pool in the near 100 degree heat. It was an embarrassing moment for the Newspaper Guild in its relationship with CWA.

“It’s not about creating a new Canadian vice-president….It’s about giving Canadians direct representation on the CWA board, now, and not waiting for other board restructuring plans to be implemented at some point in the future,’’ said a handout provided by the Canadians before the convention began.

Apparently, according to the CWA constitution, you can bring a motion back for another vote if the motion is somehow reintroduced back on to the floor and debated.

And that’s what happened, pulling the rug from under the one region, along with the Guild Puerto Rican delegation, that makes this union at least partially international.

The Canadians later said that if they had been rejected the first time they would have understood and waited for next year in Toronto. They even had a booth advertising Toronto among the many vendors who hawk union-related materials outside the convention floor.

But to be granted approval of their initial request, by a fair vote in a fair manner, and then to be rigged up on some obscure technicality, well, it’s like being invited to the big party, going out and buying new clothes and shoes in anticipation, only to be told the next day that you’re no longer invited. Sorry, but we  “don’t want you. Maybe next year.’’
     So I waited patiently for the new regime of Larry Cohen, Jeff Reichenbach and Seth Rosen, which has promised to be so democratic, to come clean on the Canadian snafu. Surely they would say something on the subject in the various e-mails and newsletters sent out after the convention.

But nothing. It’s like covering the village board meeting and writing about the budget that was passed and leaving out the feud that spilled over on the council floor between the mayor and one of the trustees because it would embarrass the administration. Sorry, guys, we’re still waiting for an explanation. The Canadians have been probably promised something privately by the CWA board. Don’t worry, we’ll get it done. We’re behind you.

But the New York delegation had already protested what they called the secrecy of talks between the CWA and the Canadians, and spoiled Amber’s weekend on the occasion of the upcoming regional agreement with the CWA.

“I’m concentrating on the lack of process,’’ said New York President Barry Lipton. “Something was done here without hitting fresh air. None of us got this document until yesterday.’’

“We didn’t participate in group-decision-making on the American side,’’ said Providence administrative officer Tim Schick. “This is not to attack Canada. It seems like the CWA is trying to divide the different branches of the CWA.’’

So it was out in the open, the two largest unit of the Newspaper Guild were quarreling, like two children trying to get the attention of their parent (CWA) because one of the children was getting something more than the other one had.

The so-called New York  motion made in the Guild finance committee asked the Guild to prepare an analysis of the expenses associated with Canada’s membership in the Guild and a report on Canada’s position in TNG, with both the report and analysis submitted to the 2007 sector conference for delegate approval. The motion also demanded that American Guild members have the right to approve the agreement between the CWA and Canada.

“It’s fundamentally unfair for members from the U.S. to veto Canada,’’ Amber said.

“I think the point has been made,’’ said Chicago Newspaper Guild executive director Jerry Minkkinen. “The agreement was made to protect the rights they traditionally had. Now that we’ve made our point we should stop beating up on each other.’’

“This has been most interesting,’’ Amber said. “Yesterday should have been a day of celebration. The members and leadership of TNG-Canada do not regard this as a shift away from TNG. I don’t have a problem with people not liking the content of this document but this constant inference that this was done in the dark…’’

Thank God the July Guild Reporter had the spunk to report on what became a major issue for the Guild at the convention.

The Reporter said that the Canadians had considered filing an appeal on what they considered an “injustice’’ but that the CWA general counsel felt an appeal would have no merit.

Obviously someone high up in the CWA didn’t like the results of the initial vote and figured out how to reverse it “democratically.’’ Later Jeff Reichenbach was quoted as saying that the issue was handled “in complete accordance with the democratic processes which have historically insured that every delegate has a voice and a vote in determining the policies and structure of our union.’’

Of course not everyone felt that way and a fair number of Guild members who weren’t Canadians also felt their brothers and sisters across the border had been screwed and the whole affair did nothing to quell the uneasiness some Guild locals feel about their submersion in the CWA.

The CWA leadership should have respected the results of the initial vote. The Canadians would have respected the vote had the initial vote gone against them. Bringing it back on the floor to defeat it certainly smacked more of intrigue and decisions that were made off the floor in the tradional smoke-filled rooms  than pure democracy.

TNG President Linda Foley told the sector conference delegates that the proposal for Canada would make that part of the union a “True Canadian union within CWA’’ and would help CWA become a true international union.

”We must keep fighting and keep striving,’’ Foley said said of the fight against the government and employers but which could also have referred to the Canadians fight for respect from the rank-and-file of the CWA. “We must always do what’s right and fight for what’s right.’’