Workers at the Postmedia printing plant in Toronto are now officially unionized after voting to join the Canadian Media Guild (CWA Canada Local 30213).

The Ontario Labour Relations Board approved an application for union certification today.

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, 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.”

CMG National president Carmel Smyth says Canada’s only all-media union looks forward to helping all media workers improve their working conditions, particularly during these exceptionally challenging times.

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.

For more information, contact:
Martin O’Hanlon
President, CWA Canada
(613) 867-5090
[email protected]

Katherine Lapointe
CWA Canada Organizer
(416) 795-8598
[email protected]