Winnipeg Free Press strike ends

WINNIPEG, Manitoba, Oct. 29 (UPI) -- Some 1,000 striking workers at the Winnipeg Free Press newspaper were back on the job Wednesday after a 16-day strike.

The Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union workers began picketing Oct. 13, a day before the federal election, as non-union editorial staff kept only the online edition going.

Publisher Bob Cox said a majority of strikers voted Tuesday night to accept a package that includes raises of 2 percent annually for the next five years. The annual wage of a senior reporter rose to $72,000 immediately and will peak at $77,000 by the end of the contract, the newspaper said.

Newspaper carriers also received the 2 percent raise, along with increased vehicle and fuel reimbursement fees, the newspaper said.

Carriers earn an average $266 a week for delivering 129 newspapers, which takes about two hours per day, Cox said.