Bill - Discussions about "casual" employees at CBC invariably seem to suggest that these are young, inexperienced people who just don't have the track record to be a full-time CBC employee.

Actually there are a lot of very talented, very experienced producers within the CBC circle who struggle to make enough to live a reasonable life.

These are producers who are acknowledged throughout North America and Internationally as being among to best in the world, award winners, and who now sell more work to European radio than the CBC.

I can also think of literally dozens of very good radio people who simply became fed up with the way the CBC treated them and moved on to other careers. They truly loved radio, but when you have a mortgage or kids to support you can't risk the uncertainty.

I have known people who worked full time for a year or more at CBC only to find themselves replaced with no notice by a newer, younger freelancer. And many listeners would be surprised by the number of very well known CBC voices that are not, and have never been permanent CBC staff, but exist from contract to contract and paycheque to paycheque.

I can recall that as long ago as twenty years ago there were two distinct classes at CBC - the Permanent staff, and the Contract staff.

I really doubt that CBC understands the damage that they have done to themselves, or appreciates the number of very talented people that have been driven away.

And of course they obviously have no understanding that a long term employee brings experience and institutional memory to their job, and in the long term is actually a wonderful investment.

Hey Barry:

That was an excellent comment.

I spent nine months at the Corpse as a casual in 2003. One statement that stands out in my mind was when one veteran staffer said this with a sneer about a well-known CBC Toronto radio voice: "He's always been on contract."

The CBC likely doesn't care about losing talented people. There are a lot of arrogant managers there who think there's plenty more where those came from.

When I was listening to some CBC staffers talk one day over a beer, they said they were all told before their interview: "Don't worry, you're in."

And I've seen job descriptions there written so specifically that only one person in the world could possibly be qualified -- and that person just happened to be the manager's Chosen One.

If the union is freaked over this ruthless push by management to develop an even more "flexible" workforce, maybe it's because they've already seen how wisely management has wielded its existing power to date.