Guild members and their allies will gather Thursday outside the Chronicle building in downtown San Francisco to protest the New York-based Hearst Corp.’s attack on quality health care at the newspaper. Detailed flyer here. It will be one of the first public demonstrations by San Francisco media workers since the newspaper business began its long economic slide […]
Read MoreThe Balancing Act: Politics, Journalism and the Guild
Growing up with a dad who was managing editor of our city’s newspaper taught me a couple of things: The “Guild” — whatever that was exactly — meant I couldn’t play at being a kid reporter and see my stories in print, at least not in The Eugene Register-Guard. It also meant a front yard […]
Read MoreInterpreting finds its voice
Check out the latest post from our friends at NAJIT. Our own Michael Ferreira, California Federation of Interpreters president, and National Association of Judicial Interpreters and Translators Chairman Rob Cruz, delve into the future of the interpreting profession. Cruz delivered the keynote address at CFI’s annual conference this month in Los Angeles, discussing the state of the interpreting […]
Read MoreMailroom and ad production jobs on the line in Hilo
Bargaining Bulletin #3 Our Hawaii Tribune-Herald bargaining committee met with representatives of the company for negotiations on Oct. 10 and Oct. 11 at the University of Hawaii at Hilo’s Imiloa Astronomy Center. The negotiations focused on a potential one-year extension of the collective bargaining agreement. The company indicated that it wants the unilateral right to […]
Read MoreFormer Chronicle reporter reflects on Distilled Spirits
Back in the day, before I came to accept my powerlessness over certain substances, there would have been a tear in my beer while chugging through Don Lattin’s new book, “Distilled Spirits: “Getting High, Then Sober, With a Famous Writer, A Forgotten Philosopher And a Hopeless Drunk.” It’s a memoir of sorts by the San […]
Read MoreHundreds of interpreters re-energize, bolster skills during CFI conference
LOS ANGELES — Hundreds of interpreters polished their skills, connected with other professionals and re-energized during the 2012 California Federation of Interpreters conference this past weekend. Some 350 attended the workshops, including interpreters from Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Minnesota and North Carolina. The 3-day conference in Los Angeles allows interpreters from California and several other states […]
Read MoreCFI President urges interpreters keep informed; give courts a message of unity
California Federation of Interpreters President Michael Ferreira urged interpreters to actively support their bargaining teams and remain informed about what is going on in the profession statewide during Saturday’s membership meeting. One of the best ways to get involved, Ferreira explained, is by joining a Watch and Support Committee in your region to observe negotiations. […]
Read MoreChronicle Guild members resist Hearst stall tactics
A video tour of the fabulous Hearst Corp. headquarters in New York shows a company that treats some of its workers to subsidized sushi. In San Francisco Chronicle labor negotiations, we see another side of the media giant. Video by Cubes. Bargaining Bulletin #11 San Francisco Chronicle Unit Hearst Corp. skipped negotiations again Wednesday, the […]
Read MoreHonored union advocate courting retirement
Duane Beeson, activist lawyer and senior partner in the Media Workers’ own law firm, Beeson Tayer & Bodine, had something like a retirement dinner Wednesday night. Beeson, 90, a onetime staff attorney for the NLRB back when the federal agency took its job of defending worker rights a lot more seriously than it sometimes does […]
Read MoreGuild proposes to make employees whole after years of concessions
Bargaining Bulletin #10 San Francisco Chronicle Unit In light of the Hearst Corp.’s continued stalling and inadequate offers, the Guild bargaining committee expanded its list of demands Monday during the latest round of contract talks. The Guild had hoped to reach a quick settlement on a short list of economic proposals focusing on a need […]
Read MoreLocked out Castlewood workers will return to work in October
After two years of stalling and dirty tricks by management, Castlewood Country Club has been advised to end its lockout – and quickly. An administrative law judge with the National Labor Relations Board ruled on Aug. 17 that the lockout was illegal. The judge told the company to reinstate the workers by Oct. 16 and pay […]
Read MoreSeth Rosenfeld discusses criticism of his book over Aoki revelation
Investigative journalist Seth Rosenfeld never imagined his new book would attract so much criticism after it named 1960s Bay Area activist Richard Aoki an undercover FBI informant. “Subversives: The FBI’s War on Student Radicals and Reagan’s Rise to Power,” is a nonfiction book that details the history of the FBI’s secret activities surrounding the University […]
Read MoreWhy are you withdrawing your proposal?
Bargaining Bulletin #9 San Francisco Chronicle Unit Hearst Corp’s pay proposal turned out to have the shelf life of a flounder on a sidewalk on a sunny day in San Jose. On Thursday, Hearst lawyers offered a pay raise of 1.5% in each year of a three-year contract, effective July 1, 2012, 2013 and 2014. […]
Read MoreSan Francisco State journalism students learn to care
Steve Rubenstein’s working life after the Chronicle has involved a lot of time lounging around with college students. He’s been teaching a course in magazine writing at San Francisco State University, where such illustrious Chronicle alumni as Yumi Wilson and Harriet Chiang also teach. Last week, Rube forced his erstwhile Chronicle associate and current Guild […]
Read MoreHearst offers next to nothing in Chronicle talks
Bargaining Bulletin #8 San Francisco Chronicle Unit Hearst Corp. finally offered its first detailed contract proposal Thursday, four months after bargaining started, suggesting all we need is a 1.5 percent pay raise in each of the next three years to solve all our problems. The proposed 1.5 percent annual pay raises would generate about $800,000 […]
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