Unionized staff at the Ottawa Citizen and Ottawa Sun have voted in favour of the latest contract offer from Postmedia Inc., averting a potential lockout.
The Ottawa Newspaper Guild says 32 members voted for the offer while 24 voted against, despite a recommendation from its bargaining committee to reject the offer.
The Guild said in a Facebook post that members were clearly divided over whether to accept the offer or continue to fight for a better deal against an “increasingly threatening employer.”
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Giving Guide: The Ottawa Mission
What we do The Ottawa Mission is our city’s oldest and largest emergency shelter. Since 1906, we have been at the forefront of caring for people who are homeless and
Giving Guide: The Ottawa Mission
What we do The Ottawa Mission is our city’s oldest and largest emergency shelter. Since 1906, we have been at the forefront of caring for people who are homeless and
Postmedia had said it would lock out union employees if they voted against the deal, and would consider permanent job cuts in the event of a labour disruption.
Staff at the two newspapers have been without a contract for 34 months as negotiations on cuts to benefits and other issues dragged on.
Lois Kirkup, vice-president of the Ottawa Newspaper Guild, had said the company was “gutting” benefits, while Postmedia said it had made its best offer given the economic challenges of the industry.
