Canadian Freelance Union to hold inaugural meeting October 3

The quiescent Canadian Freelance Union is apparently rumbling to life. In a bulletin to members, interim president Michael OReilly says that the inaugural meeting of members will be held October 3, with a number of physical sites and electronic links for other places. A draft set of bylaws have been put together by members of the interim executive and interested CFU members and will soon be available via the CFU's online web forum for a full discussion and editing.

OReilly says that the new union has a 3-year commitment of funding and support from the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union.

He also announced that long-suffering charter members, some of whom signed up to show their interest as long as three years ago (the CFU was first announced in August 2005), will receive a discount on the first year of dues. Normal dues will be $125; charter members will pay $100 for the first year.

Among the member benefits detailed in the memo are:

• A contract advice service to help members interpret and understand what they are signing.
• A formal contract support to help members deal with disputes over payment, rights usage or other problems.
• A "Red Flag" service to warn members about unscrupulous engagers.
• A basic benefits plan (details to follow).
• Access to full benefits packages at rates far lower than would normally be possible (leveraging linkages to the CEP)
• A hiring hall which will link members to work, and work to members.
• Use of the CFU bug (following our inaugural meeting).
• The start of efforts to negotiate better freelance contracts from some of the country's largest publishers such as Quebecor, Transcontinental, Canwest, Rogers, etc.
• A web forum (which at the time of writing had not posted the member bulletin

Related posts:

• Canadian Freelance Union: a lamentably long time coming
• Organizing notes from the CFU
• Freelance union getting organized
• Freelance union holds information meeting