Canadaland Union ratify first collective agreement with Canadaland

On Thursday, January 20, staff at Canadaland voted unanimously to ratify a collective agreement after a year of bargaining, CWA Canada reported.

The group announced the agreement on Twitter saying, “Things that have been ratified: 1) Hamato Yoshi, aka Master Splinter, on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987) 2) Our first collective agreement with @CANADALAND.”

Canadaland‘s publisher and editor in chief Jesse Brown tweeted, “Life’s funny and I never thought that complaining about labor practices at other media orgs I worked for would lead to me being given a chance to do better. Thank you @CanadalandUnion for the opportunity to walk the talk. Together we’re building the best news org in Canada.”

The collective agreement includes a $500 signing bonus and 2.5 per cent wage increase for Canadaland’s 10 employees, as well as revenue sharing from rights sales, language safeguarding editorial integrity, and the establishment of a joint committee to provide guidance for the organization’s editorial work.

According to the Canadaland Union Mission Statement, they believe a union will help their company “implement systems and standards to reduce turnover and burnout, increase productivity, and provide capacity within each position for exploration and growth.”

CWA Canada is the country’s only all-media union and is the parent union of the Canadian Freelance Guild. They represent more than 6,000 workers including Canadaland, The Canadian Press and CBC.