TORONTO (Jan. 29, 2019) – Two of Canada’s top media and entertainment unions announced an
innovative partnership today to improve working conditions and organize workers in factual/reality
television.
The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), North America’s largest entertainment
union, is joining forces with media union CWA Canada in its Fairness in Factual TV campaign.
The campaign was launched five years ago by CWA Canada and its biggest local, the Canadian Media
Guild, in an effort to improve health and safety, and establish fairness in pay and working conditions in
the industry.
“What we’ve learned after five years of being a voice for factual TV workers is that they need and want
union contracts similar to those in the scripted TV industry but tailored to factual,” CWA Canada President Martin O’Hanlon said. “They’re done with being treated as poor cousins. This alliance will help them improve their working lives.”
IATSE, which represents factual/reality workers in the United States and a large majority of workers in
scripted TV in Canada, brings its experience and influence to the campaign.
“Workers in factual TV need a strong, experienced voice that can represent them when they are fighting
for better working conditions,” said John Lewis, IATSE International Vice President and Director of
Canadian Affairs. “We have decades of experience representing entertainment industry workers and
understand their unique needs.”
Independent contractors and employees often work side by side in the factual TV industry and
misclassification is common, which robs workers of their legal rights, such as overtime and vacation pay.
That is the subject of a $35-million class action filed by Cavalluzzo LLP last October against Cineflix, one
of the biggest production companies in Canada’s industry.
CWA Canada represents more than 6,000 workers at newspapers and other media companies coast to
coast, including the CBC.
