Globe workers vote to strike

According to Melita Kuburas of Media in Canada, employees of the Globe and Mail have sent a clear message to management. Of the over 300 unionized editorial, advertising and circulation staff that attended a vote on Saturday, an overwhelming majority were in favour of a strike mandate if the company fails to negotiate a new contract by June 30. Ninety-seven per cent of those in attendance rejected the current offer on the table: a proposed six-year contract which includes a compounded salary increase of 7.2 per cent over the course of that time, one week of unpaid leave per year, and an extra half hour added to the workday without compensation. Changes to overtime pay and pensions have also been proposed.

Brad Honywill, president of Local 87-M of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union says of the vote, “We believe the Globe and Mail is a high quality product, but in order to maintain that high quality it has to hang on to a high quality staff.”

The Globe has already laid off 30 unionized employees this year. An additional 60 staff members accepted a voluntary severance package in January to offset declining advertising revenues affecting the newspaper industry.

http://www.mediaincanada.com/articles/mic/20090622/globestrike.html?__s=yes&