Postmedia will be eliminating over 75 jobs with its decision to outsource the printing of the Windsor Star.
The printing work at the Windsor Starway Production Plant, completed by members of Unifor, is being transferred to a Toronto printer. The union received official notice of the plant closure on January 27.
"We have until March 3 to try and talk Postmedia into staying here and staying with a production facility in Windsor. Without that, I'm going to be helping my members transition," said Colin Brian, fourth-generation press operator and Unifor Local 517-G president.
The inserting work is going to a plant in London. The papers will then be shipped back to Windsor.
Postmedia told workers of its restructuring plan, that includes laying off 11 per cent of its editorial staff across the country, at a town hall meeting on January 18. However, the union indicated it has not received any specifics on editorial job cuts.
"It's extremely frustrating and I know that everyone that I work with in the newsroom, they're all concerned. This is our livelihood," said Julie Kotsis, Unifor Media Council Chair. "All we've been told is 11 per cent across Post Media, across the country but there's all sorts of numbers floating out there as far as how many we might be losing in Windsor."