U.S. District Judge William H. Orrick has sided with the Pacific Media Workers Guild in an ongoing battle with Hearst Corp. over whether the company must arbitrate a member’s pay dispute at the San Francisco Chronicle.
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Chronicle Shopnotes – tasty pie, weak coffee and strong union
Thank goodness it’s in the contract! “Reporters shall not be transferred to the position of copy editor for punitive reasons.” Check it out! Article 1, section F. Doesn’t say anything about copy editors being forced to be reporters. Maybe that’s why a perfectly good Webster’s dictionary has gone unclaimed on the free table for a month. It seems reporters already have flawless spelling. Remember, there is actually a Chronicle reporter who is married to a Chronicle copy editor. And not for punitive reasons, according to at least one of them.
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Finding common ground
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Guild takes Chronicle pay equity issue to NLRB
The Pacific Media Workers Guild, Local 39521 of TNG-CWA, has filed an unfair labor practice charge against the Hearst Corp. for its refusal to provide information relevant to pay equity at the San Francisco Chronicle/SFGate.
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World Press Freedom Day brings solidarity with news workers everywhere
San Francisco Chronicle journalists held down the early shift Wednesday at the San Francisco Chronicle in solidarity with Guild workers everywhere and especially at the Digital First and Gatehouse organizations. About 800 members at the DFM chain, which includes the Bay Area News Group (East Bay Times and The Mercury News) and Monterey Herald, are seeking a pay increase in nationwide joint bargaining. The Guild is also contending with a recent consolidation announcement at the 2017 Pulitzer-winning East Bay Times that will cost 20 jobs.
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Media workers stand together on World Press Freedom Day
A broad coalition of 1,500 unionized news workers will conduct a joint day of action on May 3 — World Press Freedom Day — as part of a national campaign to protest the corporate-led assault on quality journalism. The coordinated effort by NewsGuild members will span 29 newspapers owned by GateHouse Media and Digital First Media. It will support the fight for quality journalism at those papers and highlight the damage wrought by draconian cuts in their newsrooms and other departments.
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NLRB backs union charges in immigration interpreter organizing drive
After a lengthy investigation into more than a dozen charges of anti-union activity, the National Labor Relations Board is preparing to issue a formal complaint against SOS International, a federal contractor that provides language-interpreting services for the immigration courts, The NewsGuild-Communications Workers of America announced today.
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After the Pulitzer, layoffs hit staff at East Bay Times
Digital First Media, owner of the Bay Area News Group, plans to move copy desk work to Southern California, triggering 20 more layoffs from a shrunken roster of 92 Guild-represented employees in the East Bay. The announcement came only a week after the East Bay news staff was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for “relentless” breaking news coverage of the deadly Ghost Ship warehouse fire in Oakland.
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East Bay Times staff members win Pulitzer
We are proud to congratulate members of the East Bay Times staff whose contributions have been awarded the Pulitzer for coverage of the Ghost Ship Fire. Our senior Guild member, Harry Harris, long-time Oakland Tribune reporter, told ABC 7 News, “This is one of the few awards in journalism that I think everybody knows that […]
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NLRB says immigration court interpreters are employees
Officials at the National Labor Relations Board have found that immigration court interpreters should be considered employees rather than independent contractors. The determination is a major — though preliminary — win for the Guild, which has been working to help immigration interpreters fighting for their job rights.
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News still matters
Thirteen Guild-CWA bargaining units representing newsroom, advertising, circulation, and production departments at Digital First Media opened joint negotiations for a wage increase Thursday in Denver. Union negotiators proposed a $1 per hour raise for all employees effective July 1. Management offered no proposal, stating that budgeting is under way for the next fiscal year that begins July 1, and that managers won’t be prepared to begin serious negotiations until June.
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March with CWA president against corporate greed this Sunday
Join CWA for a rally and march against corporate greed! April 9, 2017 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm CWA President Chris Shelton will be with us
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Guild Freelancers protests reporter’s expulsion from SFPD press conference
The expulsion of 48 Hills reporter Sana Saleem from a San Francisco Police Department press conference on Jan. 18 has prompted Guild Freelancers chair David Bacon to send a protest letter reminding Police Chief William Scott and Mayor Ed Lee that field officers and office staff must respect the constitutional rights of all journalists including freelancers such as Saleem.
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Chronicle Shopnotes – farewells and such
It was Joe Garofoli who, while the applause for the departing C.W. Nevius was still resounding in the office and before Chuck had even reached the elevator, called out, “OK, who’s got his desk?”
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Chronicle Shopnotes for the holidays
After four decades, C.W. Nevius has departed to, as he says, sit on the sofa and empty the dishwasher.
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