Printing plant closure denounced in Fort Erie

TORONTO, Jan. 17, 2013 /CNW/ - A large printing plant owned by the company Vertis has been shut down in Fort Erie, Ontario, leaving the staff without jobs or compensation. About 100 members of Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union (CEP) Local 425G in the Niagara region have just learned of the closure and are facing the company's refusal to pay out termination and severance, required under Canadian law.

"A company does not have the right to shut down without notice or compensation for the employees that have worked for them, many for most of their lives," said Dan Wickson, President of Local 425G.

The Fort Erie plant was the only Canadian plant owned by the American company Vertis. The company is currently under the protection of the United States Bankruptcy Code' Chapter 11 and was undergoing restructuring. The Fort Erie plant is one of three that were not included in the purchase of Vertis by Quad Graphics.

"The union is demanding that the company pay its legal and moral obligations to these long-standing employees who have built the company over decades," said Kim Ginter, CEP Vice-President for the Ontario region.

CEP, which represents the employees, is currently in discussions with legal counsel, the Town of Fort Erie and its development agency as well as the local Member of Provincial Parliament.

The Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada is the largest union in several key sectors of Canada's economy, including forestry, energy, telecommunications and media. The union's 120,000 members work at a wide variety of jobs in hundreds of different workplaces across the country.

SOURCE: COMMUNICATIONS, ENERGY AND PAPERWORKERS UNION OF CANADA

For further information:

Kim Ginter, CEP Vice-President, Ontario, [e-mail], cell: [phone]
Duncan Brown, National Director, CEP Graphical, [e-mail], cell: [phone]