Your Guild bargaining committee opened negotiations for a new contract with The Herald on Thursday, calling on management to do what it hasn’t done in six years: grant across-the-board pay increases to our members.

Our contract with The Herald expires September 30.  If we bargain past the expiration date, the terms of our contract will remain in place while negotiations continue.

Despite declines in ad revenue, the Guild asserted that the Herald obviously remains profitable – in part because it has systematically denied raises, cut staff and allowed numerous positions to go unfilled.  The refusal to raise pay has created continuing hardship and caused our members to apply for and to take jobs elsewhere.

The Guild did not present an initial proposal, choosing instead to focus its opening-day message on a demand for increased pay.  The Guild will present its initial proposal on September 24, when negotiations are scheduled to resume.

Herald management stated that it heard and understood the Guild’s message, and responded by saying that:

1) The company hopes to be able to grant pay increases early in 2016, as indicated in a July memo sent by DFM CEO Steve Rossi.

2) The company is optimistic that there will be a profit-sharing payout to all DFM employees late in September.

Herald management stated that the profit-sharing bonus still must be approved by DFM’s compensation committee.  It also said that raises in 2016 will be dependent on the company’s financial performance in the first two quarters of this fiscal year, which began July 1.

The Herald did not present an initial proposal, but will do so when the parties resume negotiations next month.

Claudia Melendez, James Herrera, and Darren Carroll of TNG staff represented the Guild.

Marshall Anstandig of DFM and Gabrielle Winn represented The Herald.