TORONTO, ON – Two of Canada’s top media and entertainment unions say they’re pleased with the proposed settlement of a class action lawsuit that would see Factual TV company Cineflix pay workers at least $1 million – and possibly sign a union collective agreement that would be a first in the industry.
The agreement, which was submitted today for court approval, follows three years of negotiations between the company, law firm Cavalluzzo, and unions CWA Canada and IATSE.
The lawsuit was filed by Cavalluzzo in 2018 on behalf of hundreds of current and former workers at Cineflix, which produces such TV shows as Property Brothers and Mayday. It came after a five-year “Fairness in Factual” campaign by CWA Canada to bring fair working conditions to the industry. IATSE joined the campaign in 2019, with the formation of the Factual Television Joint Council.
The proposed settlement would see $1 million in compensation for all employment standards entitlements (overtime pay, vacation pay, holiday pay) for nearly everyone who worked for Cineflix as employees or so-called independent contractors since October 2016.
Cineflix has until March to decide whether to sign a collective agreement that has already been negotiated or pay an additional lump sum. The collective agreement includes big improvements including pay scales, overtime pay, vacation pay, holiday pay, meal breaks, travel time, health and safety requirements, and other provisions.
Cavalluzzo has also filed a class action lawsuit against Insight Productions seeking damages for alleged employment standards violations. That is still before the courts. Insight Productions is best known for producing Canadian versions of shows such as Amazing Race, Big Brother, and CBC’s Battle of the Blades.
If you want to know more about our campaign, check it out at: www.fairnessinfactualtv.ca
CWA Canada represents 6,000 media workers coast to coast, including at the CBC.
IATSE, the union behind entertainment, represents over 29,000 workers in Canada.
For more information:
Kat Lapointe, CWA Canada Organizer: klapointe@cwacanada.ca (416) 795-8598
Jeremy Salter, IATSE International Representative: jsalter@iatse.net (647) 285-1179