by Kat Anderson July 20, 2012 A small but vocal contingent of CWA members rallied Thursday at AT&T headquarters in San Francisco to demand a contract settlement with the telecommunications giant that protects pay and health benefits. The message, delivered through megaphones and chants by members of three Bay Area telecom locals and the Pacific […]
Read MoreInterpreters stand in solidarity with striking court workers
by Anabelle Garay July 16, 2012 Interpreters supported striking court employees Monday as a walkout by clerks closed most courtrooms in San Francisco. Court interpreters were told to remain in the courthouse and available to work despite the stoppage in various departments. Some members of the California Federation of Interpreters used their lunch breaks to […]
Read MoreSan Francisco Chronicle ditches journalists for off-shore cheap labor
by Rebecca Rosen Lum July 16, 2012 Managers of the Hearst Corp.’s San Francisco Chronicle plan to continue using a controversial overseas content mill that fabricated bylines. Despite a protest by the Media Workers Guild, which represents journalists and other staff members at the Chronicle, editor Ward Bushee said the Chronicle will continue buying copy […]
Read MoreReporter returns to the job after long battle in Hilo
Hawaii Tribune-Herald reporter Hunter Bishop, center in blue shirt, rejoined his newsroom colleagues at the Hilo paper after a long battle to win reinstatement following his illegal firing for Guild activities. Bishop was honored July 14, 2012 during a Media Workers Guild meeting in Hilo to discuss negotiations, which are set to begin August 8 […]
Read MoreGuild offers unique summer program to the Next Generation of media workers
by Niesha Lofing July 12, 2012 A college student journalism project spearheaded by the Pacific Media Workers Guild is being heralded by media professionals and industry leaders as a critical program to help the next generation of workers gain experience and introduce them to the value of unionism. Bay News Rising, a summer program of […]
Read MoreIllegally fired newspaper workers settle with Times Union of Albany
The Times Union of Albany has agreed to offer reinstatement to three employees and to pay more than $800,000 in backpay and interest to a total of 11 employees who were laid off by the newspaper in the fall of 2009 in order to settle a case taken up by the National Labor Relations Board. […]
Read MoreCalifornia Federation of Interpreters Region 3 Bulletin: July 13, 2012
Region 3 Bargaining Update #1 Region 3 representatives proposed cutting interpreters’ pay, adding translations to their duties, moving to an hourly rate system and other measures during the first bargaining session. The California Federation of Interpreter’s bargaining committee requested extensive explanations of these proposed changes, and the courts cited desired cost savings and operational flexibility, […]
Read MorePhony bylines by publishers including SF Chronicle raise ethical concerns
It took real journalists to reveal last week that some publishers, including the Hearst Corp.’s San Francisco Chronicle, have been using outsourced content under made-up bylines — a disservice to readers that damages the credibility of good journalists everywhere. Our parent union, The Newspaper Guild-Communications Workers of America, has issued a statement condemning this practice, […]
Read MoreEast Bay BANG Bulletin: July 3, 2012
Employee representatives of the Guild focused on non-economic issues Tuesday in Pleasanton as talks continued. East Bay employees demand equal treatment and an end to disparity of treatment between South Bay and East Bay units. As stated previously, despite business climate difficulties, employees insist that a high-quality regional news operation demands that colleagues work together, and no one should have […]
Read MoreHawaii Tribune Herald Bulletin: June 28, 2012
The Hawaii Tribune-Herald announced on Wednesday that the Hilo newspaper will be printed starting in August by West Hawaii Today, a sister paper in Kailua-Kona, which will cause several layoffs. The August 18, 2012 edition of the newspaper will be the last printed in Hilo, according to the company. The Tribune-Herald and West Hawaii Today are owned by Stephens […]
Read MoreRight-To-Work Laws: A GOP Assault on Unions
by Ralph E. Stone June 14, 2012 In February this year, Indiana became the 23rd state to enact a right-to-work law, the only RTW law passed in the last decade. Republicans generally favor RTW laws while unions and Democrats do not. RTW laws are geographical too. RTW states are clustered in the Southeast, covering every […]
Read MoreBay News Rising – Summer School Launch
by Kat Anderson Pacific Media Workers Guild, in partnership with Fog City Journal, just finished its first week of “summer school” for college journalists at its offices in San Francisco. The summer program, called “Bay News Rising,” is thought to be the first of its kind in the country. The program is operating with the […]
Read MoreReports of Occupy’s Demise Greatly Exaggerated
By Ben Vitelli, via Occupy Baton Rouge People can’t seem to stop eulogizing the Occupy Movement. Since the eviction of the protestors at Freedom Plaza last November, it’s become a media cliché to report on the “Death of Occupy.” Articles pop up all over the web, blithely reporting on the failed second wind of Occupy, this lackluster […]
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