Canadian Writers Boycotting Transcontinental Over "Your base are belong to us" Contract
Canadian Living, More, Elle Canada, Homemakers, Vancouver Magazine...publications in the Transcontinental stable that are part of the target of a dozen writers' groups thanks to a new draconian contract that the money-making publishing giant is demanding that freelancers sign.
Transcontintental - which boasts on its corporate website how it increased profits despite the economic slowdown - wants to keep paying writers the same paltry rates but instead of getting just one-time rights, gets everything forever. Kind of like buying a coffee and demanding a re-fill good till the end of time.
More than a dozen writers' groups are saying 'No, thank you!' and calling for a boycott of all Transcontinental publications by their members.
The groups, representing thousands of Canadian freelancers, are:
- Anne McDermid &Associates
- Association des journalistes indépendants du Québec
- Canadian Authors Association
- Canadian Freelance Union
- Canadian Writers Group
- The Cooke Agency
- Federation of BC Writers
- Professional Writers Association of Canada
- Quebec Writers Federation
- Saskatchewan Writers Guild
- Toronto Writers' Centre
- Westwood Creative Artists
- Writers Alliance of Newfoundland and Labrador
- The Writers' Union of Canada
The website is being launched in conjunction with a Facebook group and Twitter account to help spread information and awareness about Transcontinental's contract, and the company's refusal to engage in negotiation with writers.
Please support freelance writers. Most are getting paid the same rates that were industry standards 30 years ago. While Transcontinental claims poverty on the one hand, it proudly points to its ever increasing profits with the other.
Yet another sterling example of what happens when media consolidation goes bad.
-G
