19 December 2003

'Terrible' pension plan could trigger strike at Herald

Halifax Typographical Union | TNG Canada Local 30130

HALIFAX — A pension plan that even the company acknowledges is dreadful is at the heart of a looming confrontation in this charming port city and capital of Nova Scotia.

The Halifax Typographical Union and the Halifax Herald are expecting a conciliator's report in the next few days, with mediation dates set for early January.

Talks broke off at the end of November after four days of conciliation, with neither side able to reach an agreement on the company's pension plan. The plan is badly in need of improvement, but the company and the union are at odds on how to achieve this.

"The company has not denied that its pension plan is terrible, but they are unwilling to spend the money to make improvements," says Pat Lee, president of the HTU. "Unfortunately a strike might be the only way to make that happen."

The current plan is so horrible that a 47-year employee retired a few years ago with a $13,000-a-year pension.

The HTU, which represents more than 100 newsroom reporters, editors, photographers and support staff, presented the company with its solution to the pension problem — determined after a two-year review by the union and its actuaries — but it was not accepted.

The company's counter-proposal was deemed unacceptable by the bargaining committee since their pension overhaul was skewed to mainly benefit higher-paid employees (i.e. managers) and left the bulk of the HTU's members out in the cold.

The union's proposal would see immediate improvement for all members, regardless of wage level.

While the pension issue is the most contentious one on the table, other monetary items such as mileage, wages and benefits are unresolved as well.

During negotiations the union did make strides in the area of jurisdiction, forcing the company to remove proposed changes that would have allowed managers to do members' work, as well as pave the way for the uninhibited use of freelancers.