Union, Star Tribune in Minneapolis have tentative agree contract; members vote Wednesday

Union, Minneapolis paper have tentative agreement

MINNEAPOLIS — A Teamsters official says the union representing drivers and the Star Tribune have tentatively agreed to a contract.

Bob Moore, business agent for Teamsters Local 638, says the tentative agreement was reached Friday evening. He says the union will meet with members Wednesday to review and vote on the agreement. He didn’t want to release details before members reviewed it.

Both sides had agreed to postpone a bankruptcy court hearing to June 22 in the newspaper’s request to cancel its contract with unionized drivers.

The union had threatened to strike if the drivers’ contract is scrapped. The Star Tribune wants to pull out of a multi-employer pension plan that it says is costing it more than $1 million a year.

The Star Tribune filed for bankruptcy protection in January.