 |
RSS|
BANG UNIT NEWS EAST BAY BULLETIN BANG-East Bay Guild supports vacation push Unit Chair Eric Louie issued an announcement to members in the East Bay Unit that after meetings with management, the Guild agreed to back a voluntary effort to cut vacation banks, while at the same time holding ground on employees' right to keep their built-up balances under terms of the collective bargaining agreement. BANG-EAST BAY UPDATE Breaking news online shouldn't mean free work East Bay Unit watching OT, gears up for contract push Recently, members got an e-mail specifying the company's policy on filing online stories or short updates after a night meeting. We've heard a few questions and concerns about this in terms of scheduling and equipment. We fully support the company's efforts in improving our online presence, including updating our website as quickly and as often as possible. As we pursue this goal, we also encourage employees to carefully track any resulting overtime and how this affects your schedule in general (employees are entitled to either overtime or comp time when they work beyond a scheduled shift.) PICKET LINE REPORT Country club battle turns ugly in Pleasanton Castlewood hides the portable toilet in bushes Members of Castlewood Country Club in Pleasanton pay $25,000 to sign up -- more than the kitchen and laundry workers bring home in a year. But the union enjoyed a good relationship for decades, and the management had a loyal, experienced staff. Then a new management came in, tried to jack up health costs, and eventually locked out its workers when no agreement was reached. The dispute has gone more than two months, and despite the posh setting, is anything but genteel. MEDIANEWS BANKRUPTCY Affiliated Media responds to objection, says Chapter 11 delay would hurt business Any delay in confirming the bankruptcy plan of Affiliated Media Inc. -- parent of Denver Post publisher MediaNews Group Inc. -- will hurt the company's business, its chief financial officer warned in a court filing. Tasini? Tasini! A blast from another century Justice, or at least the courts, does grind exceedingly slowly. Today, the Supreme Court gave its (final!) approval to the $18 million settlement between publishers and writers seeking compensation for the digital use of their work, which has been written for...print. BANG-EAST BAY BULLETIN Six-month term limit, plus one extension, for interns Video training moves ahead for East Bay and Merc Our Guild representatives met with the management to work out the last few details of a proposed agreement for internships, including limits for how many interns and how long they can be employed here. The agreement calls for up to 12 spread around our many work sites, for as long as 6 months. Vacations and a multi-media training initiative also were raised.
Zippy the Pinhead axed -- along with 21 other Denver Post comics Nothing fires up newspaper readers like changes to the comics section. That's something former Rocky Mountain News editor John Temple acknowledged in "The Funnies Aren't Funny Anymore," our 2007 state-of-the-art critique. More objections filed in MediaNews Group parent's bankruptcy case Two more objections were filed Monday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in connection with the pre-packaged reorganization plan offered by Affiliated Media Inc., parent of Denver-based newspaper chain MediaNews Group Inc. MEDIANEWS BANKRUPTCY Tribune affiliate raises $8.4 million claim Hearing Thursday on Chapter 11 plan An affiliate of bankrupt media company Tribune Co. on Friday filed an objection to the bankruptcy plan of the parent of Denver newspaper chain MediaNews Group Inc., seeking clarification that it can still sue over the $8.4 million it says it's owed from a 1998 option deal. MediaNews plans new content, expects more traffic after pay walls There are two provocative elements to MediaNews' paid content plan, which will be tested at two sites, the York Daily Record in Pennsylvania and the Enterprise-Record in Chico, Calif., in April or May: BANG-EB: THE GUILD UPDATE News of the MediaNews bankruptcy The MediaNews bankruptcy marches ahead. So far, proceedings in Delaware bankruptcy court seem to agree with the idea that Chapter 11 proceedings will be limited to MNG's holding company, Affiliated Media Inc., and will not affect employees or union contracts. David R. Hock of Cohen, Weiss and Simon represented The Newspaper Guild/Communications Workers of America locals at the first day hearing on Jan. 26. It appears the pre-packaged bankruptcy will come to a swift conclusion, heading for confirmation without objection on March 4. MediaNews Group reportedly worried its phones will be shut off In its reporting about the impending bankruptcy filing by Affiliated Media, the holding company of MediaNews Group, its owner, the Denver Post left the B-word out of the headline -- and its published version of an Associated Press story about the filing left out intriguing info included by other papers, including details of MediaNews boss Dean Singleton's salary. Next for MediaNews: Rolling up ailing dailies Ailing newspapers in Detroit, Minneapolis-St. Paul and San Francisco eventually could shrink or shut down after MediaNews Group emerges from bankruptcy. The prospect of future seismic shifts in the newspaper industry from Salt Lake City to York, PA, were signaled last week when Affiliated Media, the parent of MediaNews, filed for bankruptcy to eliminate all but $165 million of its $930 million in debt.
A blog published last week noted that the Denver Post had managed to report about an impending bankruptcy filing by the holding company of its parent firm, MediaNews Group, without using the word "bankruptcy" in the headline -- a neat example of spin. MediaNews Group makes it official: Files 'prepackaged' bankruptcy NEW YORK The holding company for newspaper publisher MediaNews Group filed for Chapter 11 protection Friday and expects to emerge from bankruptcy in a month or two. Affiliated Media Inc., the privately held parent company for the owner of The Denver Post, San Jose Mercury News and 52 other daily newspapers, had said Jan. 15 it would be making the move. It said it had a deal with creditors that will cut its debt to $165 million from $930 million. Pioneer Press the only MediaNews paper losing money When Pioneer Press holding company Affiliated Media announced a pre-packaged bankruptcy Friday, the press release noted that of its 54 dailies and more than 100 non-dailies, "all but one of our newspapers is profitable." Turns out the unprofitable one is the Pioneer Press. THE NEWS PROJECT New editor says hiring at nonprofit agency starts now Weber invites resumes -- nothing is 'precooked' After months of largely theoretical existence, the nonprofit Bay Area News Project leapt toward reality today by announcing the hiring of its top leaders: CEO Lisa Frazier and Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Weber. Following the exit of founder partner KQED from the project, the group also said it will supply stories to the new Bay Area sections of the New York Times. BANG-EB: THE GUILD UPDATE MediaNews bankruptcy filing stirs union legal action Guild will fight to protect contracts MediaNews Group's planned bankruptcy filing raised alarms throughout the company, and Guild members have wasted no time getting our legal department on the case. Our East Bay leaders were part of a national MNG Guild gathering in San Francisco, where an announcement was issued the day after the long-rumoured debt plan was unveiled. MediaNews, bankruptcy and the fog of media war Who will be next? And is the mating of banko companies the look of the next year? Dean Singleton bit the bitter bullet last week. After staving off bankruptcy for all of 2009, telling MediaNews execs that the company would not need to take that route, the company succumbed. MediaNews is following Morris into bankruptcy, both taking the neater, pre-packaged route, allowing quicker movement through the courts and, importantly, a continuity of leadership. Guild to seek voice in MediaNews debt plan National coalition retains legal counsel A national coalition of Guild units representing MediaNews workers in California, Minnesota, Colorado and Michigan gathered Saturday in San Francisco issued a statement about the MediaNews Group's announced debt reorganization and planned bankruptcy filing. The Guild said legal counsel is working to ensure employees are represented in the process, adding that the union intends a constructive approach. McClatchy papers announce more job reductions We continue to operate in a time of great challenge at The News & Observer, at The McClatchy Company and within the newspaper industry. While we have already implemented a number of cost-control and reorganization measures, revenues continue to show losses, and we must reduce our expenses until we are again showing growth. BANG-EB: THE GUILD UPDATE Good time to copy edit those paychecks Happy new year from the Guild! Of course, we start 2010 with a step back -- another pay reduction that's part of the company's cost-cutting plan from last year. Though this cut will be smaller from the last, we understand it will still significantly impact you and your families. We share your disappointment in this, and we're committed to working with management on ways to improve the company's outlook. MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR
Chronicle members coping as trauma carries into new year Unemployment seminar, post-holiday bash, bi-weekly payrolls Hope you've been busy making merry the past few days... We have more Plan B workshops Tuesday on finances and unemployment benefits. These workshops are open to everyone: Guild, non-Guild, current and former employees. And don't forget the party Saturday night... SINGLETON MESSAGES STAFF
MediaNews nearing debt deal with banks Singleton asks patience of employees MediaNews CEO Dean Singleton and President Jody Lodovic said Thursday that the company is close to an agreement with its banks on a debt restructuring plan. Once the plan is completed toward the end of the first quarter of 2010, they added, the company expects to have a "manageable level of debt" and will look forward to "a changing but exciting future." Sacramento’s last daily newspaper seeks more concessions from union The McClatchy Co. is making money, thanks to deep cutbacks and layoffs and a marginally improved economy. BARGAINING UPDATE Furlough plan approved by membership in Monterey Advertising revenue continues to sink at Herald Monterey Herald Guild members voted December 17 for an unpaid furlough option the management offered as a way to avert layoffs at least through March 31, 2010. McClatchy sees ad revenue improve The McClatchy Company recently said that it is seeing some signs of improvement in the advertising environment. The company notified that the rate of fall in advertising revenue is decelerating. Pruitt upbeat on McClatchy: debt cut, all papers profitable McClatchy CEO Gary Pruitt delivered an upbeat, if short, presentation to analysts and investors this morning during the UBS Global Media and Communications Conference in New York. McClatchy Co. will lift wage freeze The McClatchy Co. said today it's lifting a wage freeze that's been in effect for more than a year. BANG-EB: THE GUILD UPDATE Health care costs creep ever higher Management has sent open enrollment packets for next year's health benefits to all workers at both the Bay Area News Group-East Bay and the Mercury News. In most cases, California MediaNews Group employees -- union or not -- are covered by the same health plan. The Guild has negotiated protections against premium increases at the Merc and Monterey Herald, but we did not yet achieve this in our first round of contract negotiations in the East Bay. Our contract guarantees, however, that Guild-covered workers at BANG-East Bay be treated the same as management when it comes to health care. MediaNews Group, A.H. Belo following Murdoch out the door at Google? Two more newspaper chains are echoing News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch's rumblings about blocking content from Google's search index. Anschutz, Singleton partner to sell newspaper ads in California Philip Anschutz's Clarity Media Group and William Dean Singleton's MediaNews Group Inc. -- both based in Denver -- have launched a partnership to sell newspaper ads in northern California. BANG-EB UNIT BULLETIN Pay minimums honored in East Bay -- raises coming next Despite general pay cuts, new contract sets a standard Our East Bay Guild Unit is taking pay cuts as part of a company-wide belt-tightening. But we received official notice confirming that the company will honor our new contract's weekly pay minimums. This means 20 workers will be spared the pay cuts -- and are due some large increases in December when the minimums take effect. BARGAINING BULLETIN No deal in East Bay pay reopener Company expected to implement pay cuts Guild and management negotiators failed to reach an agreement Monday on a company pay cut plan previously announced for non-bargaining unit employees in June. Our contract allows management to now impose a wage reduction on the same terms as were applied to non-union staff. BARGAINING BULLETIN Furlough-vacation swap proposed in East Bay Guild negotiators seek to reduce pay cuts Guild negotiators and Company representatives continued talks regarding a proposed wage reduction for the unit Wednesday without reaching an agreement. The Guild offered several alternative proposals, including one that would shave 2 percentage points from the Company's pay cut plan by requiring employees to take one week of their vacation unpaid in 2010. Details of the plan would be worked out in later discussions. BARGAINING BULLETIN Guild representatives met today with company officials to further discuss the proposed Oct. 12 and January pay cuts. We received some new information and responses to some of the ideas we presented during our initial discussions last Friday. BARGAINING BULLETIN East Bay Guild proposes paycut alternatives Talks with MediaNews resume Wednesday Representatives for the BANG-EB unit of the Media Workers Guild met Friday with company negotiators to discuss pay cuts proposed by management. Under the contract ratified by our members in June, no pay cuts could be implemented before the Oct. 12 payroll period. As expected, management has moved forward with a plan to cut the pay of Guild-represented employees under the same terms already implemented in June for unrepresented employees. The Guild has two weeks to offer alternatives to the cuts, and committee members began to do so Friday.
Danville weekly drops print for online only format E-mail to readers five days a week The Danville Weekly, a sister paper of the Palo Alto Weekly, will publish its last print edition Oct. 2 and shift its focus entirely online. "While it saddens us to discontinue the print version, we believe the future of community news is online," publisher Gina Channell-Allen said. Organizers are about to introduce a new Web site and graphic identity for the Guild’s Freelance Unit. Our Web site will offer access to member benefits, links to freelancer resources and online dues-payment. We also intend to use the site to highlight our members' work, build solidarity with staff units and advance our legislative and career interests. NEW UNIT OFFICERS
De Sa' heads new Guild team at Mercury News Award-winning reporter Karen de Sa' leads a new team of Guild officers at the San Jose Mercury News. Unit members elected de Sa' by acclamation to serve out the remainder of a three-year term as Mercury News Unit Chair, through December 2010. The previous unit chair, Mary Anne Ostrom, a political writer, resigned from the newspaper this summer. SAN JOSE BULLETIN Mileage rate jumps in San Jose The mileage rate for those who drive personal vehicles on company business has increased 13 cents per mile as a result of the escalator clause in the Guild's contract with the Mercury News. BANG-EB: THE GUILD UPDATE Copy desk, other issues raised with MediaNews Guild representatives from BANG-EB and the San Jose Mercury News met with MediaNews Group representatives this week to discuss the recent staff reductions, copy desk consolidation, internships and other important issues. Both units had concerns about the recent move of copy editors from San Jose into the Walnut Creek newsroom. CONVENTION REPORT
CWA delegates expand funds for organizing Strategic industry campaigns can seek new units WASHINGTON -- Delegates to the Communications Workers of America convention opened a fresh source of financing for organizing campaigns Monday amid calls to revive the recession-battered labor movement. By a two-to-one roll call vote, CWA convention delegates lifted restrictions governing the union's Strategic Industry Fund, which has been used since 2006 only for a limited range of national campaigns, mostly focused on building membership strength within existing bargaining units. GUILD BABY! Capping an eventful week for our East Bay Guild family, June Susan Kepka was born Thursday at 6:46 a.m. to Sara Steffens and Mike Kepka. The baby, who joins Rosie in the Steffens-Kepka lineup of Rebel Girls, was described by Mom as 8 lb. 20 ozs. and "very cute." Check back for the first baby pics! Congratulations to Sara, our Bay Area New Group-East Bay founding chair, and Mike, one of our great Chronicle photographers. News workers offered path to skills upgrade Everybody: Take the survey! MediaNews workers: a deal for you As Bay Area newspapers cut hundreds of jobs, skill training programs are springing up to help out-of-work print journalists find new jobs -- and help current members at MediaNews papers increase their prospects while they still have jobs. A survey and special scholarships are in the works -- and here are early details. REBEL GIRL Steffens to focus on her other family for a while Sara Steffens stepped aside Saturday as East Bay unit chair. She was presented a framed poster of "Rebel Girl," commemorating the famous Wobbly lyric written by Joe Hill about Elizabeth Gurley Flynn in service of the "One Big Union," which provided inspiration for the "One Big BANG: One Guild Universe" organizing drive that led to the founding of the East Bay unit in 2008. BANG-EB UNIT BULLETIN East Bay approves first contract by near unanimous vote Fifty-seven in favor, two opposed in ratification meetings Members of the Bay Area News Group-East Bay Unit of the California Media Workers Guild voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to approve their first Guild contract since organizing last June. The vote was 57 in favor, 2 opposed, in ballots cast during ratification meetings held in Walnut Creek and in Oakland. The tally did not include absentee ballots, which were too few to have affected the outcome. Merc Guild members approve new contract 18-month accord includes pay, benefit cuts Amid drastic declines in newspaper advertising revenue, members of the San Jose unit of the California Media Workers Guild, which represents newsroom, advertising, circulation, finance and janitorial workers at the Mercury News, voted Monday 127-39 to approve an 18-month contract that calls for pay cuts, higher medical insurance premiums and less vacation for its members. BARGAINING BULLETIN First contract up for member vote Tuesday Negotiators for the Bay Area News Group-East Bay Guild Unit reached a tentative agreement with company management Thursday for a new labor contract. The proposed labor agreement would be the first for the 180-member BANG-East Bay Unit, which organized in June 2008. Guild members now get to vote whether to ratify the accord. Meetings are being scheduled in Walnut Creek and Oakland for Tuesday June 2. Details will be announced soon. Singleton founded MediaNews Group in 1983 and in its 26th year, MediaNews is one of the nation's largest newspaper companies, currently publishing 61 daily newspapers and twice as many non-daily publications in 12 states. |
© 2000 - 2010, California Media Workers
Guild | sitemap |
RSS
