Postmedia printing plant staff file to unionize

TORONTO – Workers at the Postmedia printing plant in Toronto have officially filed for union certification.

The Canadian Media Guild (CWA Canada Local 30213) filed today with the Ontario Labour Relations Board after a strong majority of the staff signed union cards.

The Postmedia workers say they look forward to unionizing so that they can finally have a say in decisions that impact their work lives, fair standards for overtime, scheduling, and sick days, job security, and decent pay that reflects the cost of living in the Toronto area.

They say they have endured years of cuts to pay, hours, bonuses, vacation, and benefits. The last straw came during the pandemic when, even though they were deemed essential, the company cut their wages once again, and didn’t do enough to ensure their safety.

The filing is part of a recent wave of unionization in the North American media industry.

CWA Canada President Martin O’Hanlon welcomed the workers, saying they deserve much better from Postmedia.

“While Postmedia has been paying millions a year to its top executives and tens of millions to its hedge fund owners / lenders, the people that do the real work have been struggling to get by,” O’Hanlon said. “That’s simply not fair and it’s time to change things. These workers deserve a real voice in their workplace and the power to negotiate decent wages and working conditions.”

Postmedia sold the printing plant at 2250 Islington Avenue to Rice Group for $30.5 million in August 2017, but arranged to lease a portion of the property for up to 10 years. The company said it would use the net proceeds to pay down debt.

CWA Canada is the country’s only all-media union, representing 6,000 workers, including at the CBC, The Canadian Press, Thomson Reuters, VICE Canada, and newspapers coast to coast, including several Postmedia publications.