Contracts

Bay Area News Group (Digital First) rejected the committee’s proposal that seeks to restore wages and benefits lost in recent contracts, such as a 3 percent wage increase in each of the next three years, a fifth week of vacation after 15 years of service, and resumption of an employee 401k match.

Guild proposal reflected concerns from a member survey, recent small-group meetings and an internal analysis of payroll data. Since 2008 members have suffered a 14.25 percent loss in inflation-adjusted dollars, increased to 16.1 percent with inclusion of lost vacation.

A federal mediator was brought into the Chronicle-Guild negotiations in a renewed effort to settle terms of a new labor contract at the newspaper.

Negotiators for the guild and the company met on Wednesday and Thursday in Hilo to discuss a new collective bargaining agreement.

On Thursday, the Guild presented a revised proposal that clarified priorities in the achievement of parity with the San Jose Mercury News contract.

Hawaii Tribune-Herald collective bargaining continued Wednesday and Thursday in Waikiki. The guild suggested that the scope of the negotiations be narrowed to focus on about a half dozen priority issues, including wages, job security, medical and management rights. Management offered no pay raise and proposed increases in health care.

The Guild and Sacramento Bee management reached an agreement that will transition Modesto Bee copydesk personnel to the new Sacramento consolidated production center, govern labor and wages at the new center and extend the contract for existing Sacramento Bee newsroom and advertising employees covered by the guild.

Chronicle Guild negotiators broke off talks Tuesday with the Hearst Corp. after enduring yet another rendition of the same old company song and dance routine.

As has been the pattern lately, Hearst negotiators offered no change in the Company’s position and indicated no interest in the Guild’s proposed compromise regarding protecting take-home pay in 2015 and 2016.

Hearst lawyers brought nothing new to the bargaining table Thursday when talks resumed for a new Guild contract at the San Francisco Chronicle.