Ming Pao (Canada) reaches agreement

New labor deal fair to staff and company, according to union sources 

The unionized newspaper staff at Ming Pao Daily in Toronto have voted 95 percent in favour of a new two-year collective agreement.

"We are very happy to re-negotiate a good union contract with this company without the need for a strike, litigation or even mediation," said union spokesperson Wesley Chua, a copy editor at the popular Chinese language daily.

The agreement covers about 130 editorial, advertising, production and administrative staff represented by Unifor Local 87-M.

"The company brought a very professional attitude to the bargaining table, and we reached an agreement that is fair to both the staff and the company," Chua said.

Ming Pao staff reached a first collective agreement in 2012 but only after an eight-week strike and the intervention of the Ontario Labour Relations Board, which imposed a union contract after negotiations failed.

The new contract ratifiedSundayincludes cost of living wage raises, better severance pay, improvements for part-time employees, and no concessions.

Unifor Local 87-M represents 2,600 unionized media employees across Ontario, including employees at the Toronto Star, Globe and Mail, Sing Tao Daily, Macleans and Toronto Sun.