First contract at VICE Canada increases base pay up to 50 percent

The first digital media company to be unionized in Canada now has a collective agreement in place that gives workers major gains in salaries and benefits, stronger equity provisions, and measures to protect editorial independence.

It’s a first contract for the 170 VICE employees across the country, who joined CWA Canada’s largest local, the Canadian Media Guild (CMG), last June. The members, who work in editorial, production, ad agency, post production, and building operations, voted 94.7 per cent in favor of ratifying the three-year tentative agreement.

The deal between the CMG and the global digital media giant was reached after nine months of intense negotiations and was tentatively agreed to on March 31. The company ratified the deal on Friday. It is retroactive to Jan. 1.

Employees will see immediate wage increases ranging from two percent to 52.5 percent based on the negotiated salary grid, with an average increase of nine percent. There are annual increases of two percent this year and 2.5 percent in both 2018 and 2019.

The collective agreement builds in pay equity provisions, guards editorial independence, increases vacation, doubles the number of paid sick days, improves parental leave benefits, strengthens protections for contract employees, defends the right to do outside work, improves severance, and establishes fair arbitration and dispute resolution procedures.

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First contract at VICE bestows base pay increases up to 52.5% (CWA Canada, May 1, 2017)