NDP leader Jack Layton roared into town on Wednesday and stole the show for this week. In a meeting with locked-out Journal de Montréal workers, he lent his support, denounced the use of scabs and said he’s written to the prime minister asking that federal advertising be pulled from the paper until its union conflict is resolved.
Seeing an opportunity to get his name in the media again, Denis Coderre also wanted to make sure we know that the Liberals support the workers.
[Insert rebellious song title pun here]
Quebecor sucks!
In the wouldn’t-have-been-printed-in-the-Journal category:
- A critical look at Quebecor’s decision to dump Canadian Press and replace it with an internal wire service that’s criticized as “incestuous”
- Another critical look at the decision to dump CP, focusing on how this will reduce the diversity of voices in Quebecor-owned media.
- A story about Quebecor-owned Videotron wanting to put up a large antenna for its new cellular network and getting opposition from local townsfolk.
We like freelancers, trust us!
The STIJM makes a case for the support of freelance journalists with the Association des journalistes indépendants du Québec. Though it admits that fighting for freelancers isn’t its primary mission, it says it tried to get some union protection for freelancers at the Journal and has opposed onerous contracts that demand excessive rights waivers.
Meanwhile, in other news
- CSN chief Claudette Carbonneau is suing the Journal for allegedly misquoting her.
- Locked-out workers at Le Réveil passed by Montreal to ask the Journal workers for any tips to deal with their conflict, especially since Quebecor is still putting out their paper.
- The CSN is demanding the labour minister look into how the Journal and Quebecor are exporting loopholes in the Quebec labour code to take advantage of illegal scab work.
- The Société Saint-Jean Baptiste is boycotting the Journal, who will now have to do all their anglo-bashing alone.
- Workers protested outside Star Académie again last weekend.
- More accusations against 24 Heures journalist/scabs, the latest saying one copied text from a RueFrontenac report.
- Rue Frontenac is used as an example in a French piece on new forms of pressure tactics during labour conflicts.
- Another feel-good human interest story about a family on the picket line.
Never read the Journal de Montréal (except on a table at a cheap restaurant), but I’ve begun to read Rue Frontenac since it’s birth.
Quebecor needs a hard punch to the nose for all their backwater management tactics. I just hope the JDM union will be the one to deliver it.
Makes me bitter I got Internet from Videotron sometimes…