Changes to pension plan to be negotiated: Unifor
Inside workers and carriers at the Winnipeg Free Press voted on June 4 to ratify new contracts which include a two-year no layoff clause.
Members of Unifor, Local 191 strongly supported the new contracts, which also made no concessions during this round of bargaining, said the union.
“This is a difficult time for the newspaper industry, so it was important for us to come up with a deal that protected our members but did not make the situation worse for the newspaper,” said Aldo Santin, Unifor, Local 191 president. “Job security weighs heavily on the minds of these workers and unless the newspaper sees the elimination of a publishing day, there will be no layoffs for the duration of this contract.”
In addition, the union was able to take steps towards a more stable pension plan for members. The union and management will explore the possibility of transferring the defined-benefit pension plan to a multi-employer plan, said Unifor.
Unifor represents about 265 carriers and 250 inside workers at the Winnipeg Free Press, including members at six Canstar weeklies. The two-year contracts take effect on July 1 and will expire in June 2021, said the union.
Local 191 represents members at four other daily newspapers as well as workers in the hospitality, transportation, labour and commercial print sectors.
