CBC union, management to meet
TORONTO (CP) - The two sides in the CBC lockout have agreed to sit down with federal Labour Minister Joe Fontana on Monday in a bid to end the six-week-old dispute.
The meeting will take place hours before Parliament is set to resume for the fall session. "I am inviting you to meet with me . . . to review the status of the negotiations and to develop a plan to bring these negotiations to a successful conclusion without further delay," Fontana said Friday in a letter to CBC president and CEO Robert Rabinovitch and to Arnold Amber, president of the CBC branch of the Canadian Media Guild.
CBC spokesman Jason MacDonald confirmed that Rabinovitch will attend the meeting.
"I think any initiative that could move the process along toward a negotiated agreement is positive," he said. "I mean I sound like a broken record but I've said our objective is to get a negotiated agreement as soon as possible."
The union will also attend the meeting. Karen Wirsig of the Canadian Media Guild called the minister's invitation "the first major breakthrough" in the dispute.
Fontana could not immediately be reached for comment Friday. His letter said he's heard grave concerns about the length of the lockout and is particularly worried about the impact it is having in remote areas of the country.
The union is still planning a major rally Monday in Ottawa, where morale on the picket line is said to be sagging.
Fontana's invitation came a day after the Guild tabled what it called its first comprehensive offer in the dispute that has locked out 5,500 unionized employees and crippled original programming on the CBC English-language radio and TV networks.
The package was quickly dismissed by management for failing to deal with two key issues: the CBC's wish to make greater use of contract employees and the qualifications a laid-off employee would have to have to justify bumping a colleague with less seniority.
"It has been the experience at the CBC for deals to be concluded in Ottawa with both the federal mediators there, but also key members of the CBC management team who for the most part have not been present at the bargaining at all," said guild president Lise Lareau, referring to a 1996 dispute that was settled in such a manner that a deal was reached within three days.
Ian Morrison, spokesman for the watchdog group Friends of Canadian Broadcasting, believes Rabinovitch - who has kept a low profile during the lockout - is under pressure from the CBC board of directors as well as the Commons heritage committee.
"He has been in a sort of bunker," he said.
"So I see this as a hopeful sign. If this does not resolve the issue, ultimately more people are going to be saying 'Who is this Rabinovitch anyway? Why does he think that he can hold the public up to ransom for whatever purpose he has?'"
FALL'S WON AND 'LOST'
The new season is just days old, but we're already seeing some "winners" and "losers" emerging in the crowded TV landscape.
Here's a look at some early shows that have earned distinction — in both categories:
* "My Name is Earl." The new hillbilly-turns-do-gooder sitcom, starring Jason Lee, snared over 15 million viewers in its debut for hit-starved NBC — and beat returning favorite "Two and a Half Men" on CBS. This one could be a keeper.
* "Lost." The returning ABC drama averaged over 23 million viewers in its second-season debut, putting it in rarefied powerhouse ratings company with ABC stablemate "Desperate Housewives" and "CSI" — and disproving a sophomore jinx. Also provided a great lead-in for "Invasion," which wins here (17 million viewers).
* "Prison Break" and "House" (Fox). "Prison Break" isn't a breakout hit, but has performed solidly and is a critical darling. "House" has shown it can stand on its own without the "American Idol" lead-in it had last season.
* "Everybody Loves Raymond." It's no longer on CBS, but is perfoming very well . . . in syndication.
* "Nip/Tuck." Its third-season premiere was the most-watched episode in FX series history (5.3 million viewers). 'Nuf said.
* "The Apprentice: Martha Stewart." It averaged a mere 7.7 million viewers and was soundly whipped by a "Lost" clip show, for crying out loud. And that was after a mountain of hype. Note to Martha: You just don't fit in.
* "Arrested Development." Lots of attention and lavish critical praise failed to translate into viewers: A little over 4 million for the season premiere. Not good.