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Established 2010

For those not yet convinced, this video commissioned by the Canadian Media Guild/CWA Canada cheekily illustrates a few good reasons to join a union.

Produced by MyFilm Productions, with music by Incompetech, the narrative centres on "Jenny," who is excited to start her new job, only to discover that she was hired to replace a more experienced colleague, who will now be "restructured" out the door, and that her new employers aren't too interested in fairness or respect for their workers. Jenny needs a union.

The video takes place in a traditional office setting, but the benefits of joining a union apply just as easily to freelancers. Some of these were discussed in this post by the Born Freelancer, and even more are outlined on the CMG's Freelance Branch page.

[The video was first posted yesterday on the CMG website.]

This series of posts by the Born Freelancer will share personal experiences and thoughts on issues relevant to freelancers. Have something to add to the conversation? Your input is welcome in the comments. "I wouldn't belong to any club that would have me as a member" — attributed to Groucho Marx I usually feel the same way. I'm not really much…
[caption id="attachment_1047" align="aligncenter" width="580" caption="Screengrab from Rue Frontenac's front page, May 19, 2011."][/caption] Rue Frontenac launched in winter 2009 as website for locked-out workers at the Journal de Montreal, offering union information on the conflict between the paper and its unionized workers that began in…
What better way to mark May Day this year than with two classic silent films about labour struggles? At the Revue Cinema, Silent Toronto presents Sergei Eisenstein's Strike (1921),  to be preceded by Charlie Chaplin's short film Work (1915); both films will feature live piano accompaniment by William O'Meara.The event is part of the Revue Cinema's…
Ottawa-area freelance court interpreters, who provide an essential service in court cases involving non-English-speaking individuals, are continuing a work stoppage that began in February and are considering joining a union, according to this story from the Lawyers Weekly.Those involved in the group action, with the backing of the Court…
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Freelance writers and producers, some of whom have worked for the same production company for years without benefits and paid overtime, have begun joining the Writers' Guild of America, East. An article posted at truthout.org describes why 150 freelancers who work for two different New York City production companies - Atlas Media and ITV Studios -…

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