2014 Fred Jones Award

Jim Slotek receives Fred Jones Award from Local President Paul Morse

Toronto Sun Unit Chair Jim Slotek was awarded the annual Fred Jones Award for service to the Local at the October Rep Council meeting. Jim was an integral part of the organizing drive that brought the Toronto Sun into the union in 2002-2003. He served on the bargaining team for the year-long first contract negotiations from May, 2003 to May, 2004 and then on every subsequent bargaining team in 2008, 2011 and again this year. Jim has been on the unit executive since the Toronto Sun was organized, rising to unit chair two years ago. He has also been active at the Local level, serving on the Local Election Committee and as a Sun Media Caucus nominee this year on the chain-wide central bargaining committee. Throughout his 12 years of continuous service to the local, Jim has been a leader, no matter what position he has held.

He personifies solidarity. That’s evident at Toronto’s annual Labour Day parade for the last decade when he has been literally walking the talk as part of the 87-M’s often small delegation, usually accompanied by his two sons.

Jim never shied away from an argument when it came to supporting his union. At no time was this commitment to the movement more admirable than this past spring when Jim put his name, face and talents on the line in composing and starring in the anti-Hudak video that was distributed to our members prior to the recent provincial election.

Jim has done all of this while maintaining his position as one of the top entertainment columnists in the city. To do that, he’s never missed a column, even during bargaining. Union book-off time really doesn’t exist for him.

He is exactly the kind of person the Local had in mind when it created the Fred Jones Award 25 years ago in memory of the former Toronto Telegram reporter who served as local president in the 1950s and then as an international rep and finally as Executive Secretary of the Local.