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LOCAL NEWS
BARGAINING BULLETIN Guild trims economic proposals, but Chronicle shows little interest Members 'fed up,' launch Fair Contract 2010 campaign Negotiations broke little new ground Wednesday. Guild negotiators offered a new comprehensive proposal to The Chronicle management for a three-year contract, yet the company showed little interest in moving toward a settlement. Our proposal calls for a 2.5 percent annual pay increase, plus an additional 0.5 percent to cover part of an anticipated rise in health insurance costs. The Guild also is seeking parity with management on vacation and retirement benefits, which were slashed in 2009 for Guild employees but not for managers. FAIR CONTRACT 2010 Chronicle members speak out for fair deal Eloquent voices take up Guild campaign
ORGANIZING REPORT
Wcities campaign moves into high gear Organizers take Guild drive public Evan Wynns of the travel website Wcities.com in San Francisco left little doubt where he stood Friday on the question of forming a union at his workplace. He sent an email to everybody, including management, that brought a Guild organizing campaign into the open. His decision came after another key organizer was summarily let go under controversial circumstances, which the Guild is asking the National Labor Relations Board to investigate.
BARGAINING BULLETIN Herald talks start with a thud in Monterey Management seeks furloughs and benefit cuts Monterey County Herald management opened contract negotiations with the Guild on Tuesday with requests for several economic concessions, citing the continued slide in advertising revenue. The Guild's contract with the Herald, owned by MediaNews Group, covering about 90 workers, expires Nov. 16. Guild leaders next week will announce the time and date for a membership meeting to discuss the specifics of management's proposal and our response. NEWS FROM ALBANY Hearst illegally cut Guild staff at Times-Union Chronicle's corporate owner slapped down by ALJ The Hearst-owned Albany (N.Y.) Times Union broke the law when it removed workers from their jobs when the newspaper was supposed to be negotiating layoff criteria -- and broke the law again when declaring impasse in those negotiations, a judge has now ruled. The 11 affected employees should be returned to work and repaid lost wages and benefits. Tropical storm flares in Chronicle newsroom Guild members stage Hawaiian shirt protest
FREE VIDEO CLASSES Editing workshops packed, and some on standby Classes for beginners, advanced users More than 30 qualified Guild members applied for half that many slots in our video-editing workshops, which began Monday Aug. 23 and run through Saturday Aug. 28. Students are learning the FinalCut Pro editing package from Jim Talluto, a television veteran working with the CWA/NETT Academy program. BARGAINING BULLETIN Chronicle management gives some ground A pay raise in July 2011 After a two-week delay, Chronicle management today offered a comprehensive response to all of the Guild's proposals for a new contract. Except for a few agreements on sick leave, grievance procedure and layoff notice, The Guild's proposals were overwhelmingly rejected by management. Management did, for the first time, offer a small wage increase -- but not until July 2011 -- and hinted at some movement on The Guild's vacation proposals.
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
Hearst stirs resentments in S.F. Many of us came to work at newspapers not just to make a living but to do our part to promote truth, justice, fairness and decency in our own small way. We do that daily -- and it shows in our award-winning newspaper and website. Unfortunately, Chronicle management doesn't seem to believe in -- or practice -- the same principles. At least not when it comes to us: the people who have made huge sacrifices to keep this paper alive. New Guild baby bolsters East Bay forces Grace Steffens Kepka, newborn daughter of Chronicle Unit member Mike Kepka and MediaNews mobilizer Sara Steffens, opened her eyes last week to a world of rising miltance. BARGAINING BULLETIN Talks on hold at Chronicle as membership gathers With a one-week break, Chronicle management still was not prepared to respond to our latest proposals -- vacation, 401(k), pension, health care, raises, among others -- and could not meet for negotiations today. We do plan to reschedule talks and keep the dialogue going, however. In the meantime, the Bargaining Committee worked on strategy options that we will discuss at tonight's general membership meeting at 5:30 p.m. at the Guild conference room. BARGAINING BULLETIN Negotiators confront nay-saying management in SF Chronicle members to meet July 22 After two days of talks, we ended up discovering where Chronicle management's boundaries lie and what we can achieve in this economic climate. The bottom line: Not much. Guild negotiators proposed a two-year contract that would include pay increases, new money to protect health care, retirement gains, more vacation time and a shorter workweek. Management's idea: An 18-month extension of the current contract, with a new shade of lipstick dabbed here and there. Unit leaders called a membership meeting to air options.
BARGAINING BULLETIN Talks focus on non-money issues at Chronicle Citing losses, management rejects pay raises Guild negotiators exchanged new contract proposals Wednesday with representatives of the San Francisco Chronicle/SFGate.com. Management proposed an 18-month extension, including a pay freeze and no extra money for health care -- or anything else. The Guild committee continued to press for improvements but focused on some non-money issues where agreements may be in reach. The talks continue Thursday.
Freelance labor pool drying up, Guild survey finds Veterans are leaving the field Since slashing their staffs over the past several years, newsrooms have been filling in the gaps with freelancers. But a survey of Northern California independent journalists by Guild Freelancers suggests that remedy may not be available for much longer. Many veteran journalists -- the kind newsrooms can count on to turn over a story quickly -- are leaving the field. BARGAINING BULLETIN Contract extended while talks continue at Chronicle Cap on usage of sick leave lifted In Guild negotiations with Chronicle management Wednesday, we reached two important agreements. First, we agreed to extend the current contract past the June 30 expiration date with the understanding that both sides still want to reach an agreement as quickly as possible. We also agreed to immediately lift the 2009 cap on sick-leave usage (the cap would have limited Guild members to use no more than 10 days of their sick bank per year starting July 1). LOCAL SCHOLARSHIPS Four Guild families win college aid Four college-bound students are receiving scholarships from the Media Workers Guild ranging from $100 to $500 each. Mary Schreck of Berkeley, daughter of Bay Area News Group copy editor Michele Jurich Schreck, received the maximum award based on recommendations of the Guild's independent judging committee. Western locals of Guild and CWA talk merger William Harvey, secretary-treasurer of Oakland-based CWA Local 9415, was a special guest Saturday at a meeting of the Media Workers Guild's Executive Committee in San Francisco. The EC approved the general outline of a proposed merger that would unite Local 9415 with the Media Workers as well as the Hawaii Newspaper Guild. Other CWA locals have discussed joining the proposed new mega-local, tentatively being called the Pacific Communications and Media Guild. MERGER UPDATE Executive Committee endorses merger outline Local would combine with CWA 9415 and Hawaii Guild Members of the Executive Committee of the Media Workers Guild endorsed a merger outline Saturday that could create a powerhouse communications local in the West, uniting the San Francisco-based Guild, the Hawaii Newspaper Guild and Oakland-based CWA Local 9415. The tentative outline suggests the merged local be called the Pacific Communications and Media Guild. It would be a diverse alliance, one of the largest in the CWA, with more than 5,000 members drawn from industries including newspapers, language services, broadcasting, cable TV and regional, long-distance and cellular telephone service. Sierra Nevada is lovely this time of year Nothing beats a sunny afternoon in the Sierra Nevada -- among other vacation spots beckoning members of the Guild's East Bay Unit. INTERPRETERS UPDATE Contract ratified in Central Valley, vote near in LA Interpreters close to having agreements statewide Guild-represented court interpreters in the Central Valley (Region 3), who started bargaining a new contract in August of 2008, ratified a new contract good through Sept. 2011. On Wednesday, Los Angeles-area members (Region 1) will begin voting on a proposed new deal. If the LA terms pass muster, new contracts will be in place for all four interpreter regions statewide, covering 800 members. |
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