Source: mediaunion.ca

This morning CEP Local 2000 applied for certification of a new bargaining unit at the Saskatoon StarPhoenix, a Postmedia-owned newspaper in Saskatchewan’s largest city.

The application covers all employees at the StarPhoenix, except those in the distribution department and some management personnel.

“This is great news for all Postmedia employees, union and non-union,” said Local 2000 Vice President Gary Engler, who has been helping out with the organizing campaign for the past month. “It shows that people are prepared to stand up for themselves despite all the industry woes. You can only push people so far before they fight back.”

The union submitted membership application cards from a significant majority of StarPhoenix employees in all departments except distribution to the Saskatchewan Labour Relations Board. The proposed bargaining unit will have over 130 members.

The company will be given 10 days to respond to our application and sometime later the Board will conduct a vote. If a majority of employees vote yes to the union, the process for bargaining a first collective agreement will commence.

Local 2000 has created a website, www.cepatstarphoenix.ca, for the campaign.

“Congratulations to everyone who signed cards and helped out in the campaign,” said Engler. “We had a really good group of hard-working people who made the card-signing part of the campaign a tremendous success.

“But, it’s important to stay focused on our goal: gaining a strong voice in dealing with Postmedia or whoever is the next owner of the StarPhoenix. We have taken an important step, but it is only the first of many.”