20 September 2006

Leadership changes
confirmed by membership

Montreal Newspaper Guild | TNG Canada Local 30111

The Montreal Newspaper Guild, at a general membership meeting held Sept. 16, confirmed Mona Leroux and Charles Shannon as the Local's President and First Vice-President, respectively.

They acceded to their new positions after President Michele Carle, in office only since March, decided not to seek re-election and stepped down. Mona and Charles will serve on an an interim basis until regularly scheduled elections, for a three-year term, take place in early December.

Mona first became active in the Local in the early 1980s, with the organization of her Reader Sales and Service bargaining unit, and renewed her involvement in 2000 over the issue of pay equity. She later served as Main Unit chair, as grievance chair for the Local, and as First Vice-President.

Charles got involved as a bargainer in 1998, then served as Main Unit chair and, since 2003, as Second Vice-President. He also chairs TNG Canada's CanWest Caucus.

In other Montreal news, the 18-member Business Office bargaining unit voted Sept. 19 to ratify a new three-year Collective Agreement with The Gazette.

The pact, negotiated with the help of TNG Canada staff representative Dave Wilson, took effect as of ratification.

It provides for an immediate increase of 2.5 per cent, with increases of 2.5 and 3.0 per cent in subsequent years.

Other key provisions remain substantially unchanged.

This ratification leaves only one Gazette bargaining unit without a Collective Agreement: Classified, where the Guild is eagerly awaiting an arbitrator's ruling on an imposed first contract.