Unionized employees at TVO, including producers, journalists and education workers, have voted in favour of a strike mandate.

Members of the Canadian Media Guild (CMG) who work at the Ontario pubcaster had a 96% turnout for the vote and voted 100% in support of the strike mandate, according to a news release issued Tuesday (Feb. 28).

This is the first time since 2015 that CMG/TVO employees have given a strike mandate to their bargaining committee, bringing them a step closer to a legal strike position. The collective agreement concerns 70 workers and expired in October 2022. The next scheduled bargaining date is March 9.

The union cited “below-inflation wage increases for the past 10 years, including three years of complete wage freezes” among the main sticking points.

TVO/CMG members have salaries that “are below industry standard,” and the Toronto-based broadcaster hasn’t received an “inflationary increase in base funding from the provincial government for many years,” according to the release.

The union also alleged the company has made a “move from permanent employment to precarious contracts with no benefits” for new employees.

CMG members at TVO are also concerned about an alleged move away from “journalism at a critical time for quality and trustworthy information,” said the release, citing a lack of references to journalism in the pubcaster’s business plan and in Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce’s 2023-2024 letter of direction to TVO issued on Jan. 23.

However, a statement from Julia Vrabec, TVO’s VP, people and culture, said it “is highly misleading and just plain wrong to suggest that TVO has reduced (or plans to reduce) its commitment to journalism.”

“In fact, that commitment has grown dramatically in the past few years – including new podcasts, video series, live events, new beats, The Thread with Nam Kiwanuka, among other initiatives – and is clearly embedded in our strategic plan,” Vrabec added in the statement, which is on TVO’s website.

“In addition, we continue to provide our full commitment to The Agenda with Steve Paikin and our award-winning documentaries. As is appropriate in situations such as this, we will confine our future comments to the negotiating table.”

TVO will also “continue to bargain in good faith with the objective of reaching a fair collective agreement,” Vrabec said.

A spokesperson for Ontario’s Ministry of Education tells Playback Daily that nothing has changed in terms of provincial direction to TVO regarding journalism, noting mandate letters issued to the pubcaster in previous years also did not make such a reference.

TVO/CMG workers are seeking “wages that take into account industry standards and inflation” as well as “permanent jobs for permanent work” and “a commitment to quality journalism at TVO now and in the future,” said the union’s release.

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