[SAINT JOHN, NB] — Striking radio station workers in Saint John are starting their own online radio station.
Gary Stackhouse, president of the bargaining unit, said the online station is already up and running but it will officially launch Wednesday at radiofreesaintjohn.fm.
The seven union members have been on strike for over a month and Stackhouse said they've had no contact with the Halifax-based MBS Radio since June 19.
The workers walked off the job in June after almost 10 months of trying to negotiate their first contract with MBS Radio.
Replacement workers are keeping three private radio stations on air, but Stackhouse said the striking employees miss being on the airwaves.
"We love radio, we certainly are not in it for the money," he said. "We do it because we love it and I think we all miss it."
He said the new online station will provide listeners with strike updates, but that won't be the focus since the station is really all about the workers' love of radio.
Stackhouse said working on the new online station is serving as a morale booster, since the workers are able to do radio the way they want.
"We're able to show that we can do radio the way we want to do it and it could also provide a service to the community," he said. "So many people said 'we miss you on the air.'"
