Corporate-Owned St. Louis Paper Pulls Plug -- Again -- on Retiree Health Care

Just in time for the holidays, the corporate owner of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch is yanking union- negotiated medical coverage from scores of retirees, telling retirees they’ll have to cough up 100 percent of the premium cost.

TNG-CWA Local 36047 will file a grievance and has scheduled a meeting for the 150 affected retirees next week. TNG-CWA also will provide information about alternatives for health care coverage for retirees as the union pursues legal options.

The action by Lee Enterprises targets people who retired under the Guild contract in effect from June 2004 through March 2010. Several years ago, the company tried to cut benefits for 200 workers who retired between 1994 and 2004, and the union has been fighting back ever since. In September, the Guild won a federal court decision that the health care benefits are a vested right and that the company must arbitrate any changes. Lee is appealing the ruling.

“After the judge’s decision in our case, I was hopeful that Lee would not attempt the same thing with our later retirees,” Local Business Representative Shannon Duffy said. “But no. They did and here we go again.”