December 18, 2006

No Confidence, No Faith, No Stomach

Guild members apparently couldn't stand the thought of just voting yes tonight on the contract agreement they reached with the papers' owners. They also passed another motion, declaring No Confidence in the owners' desire to publish great newspapers.

The Guild memo Stu Bykofsky just sent out has all the details.

NEWSPAPER GUILD RATIFIES CONTRACT BY A 498-69 VOTE

A new three-year contract was ratified by members of Local 10 of The Newspaper Guild, by a 498-69 vote.
The final vote was announced after 9 p.m., at the end of a meeting that started at 7 p.m.
At the start of the meeting, Diane Mastrull, chair of the Inquirer-Daily News unit, with some 900-plus members, recommended members accept the “unanimous vote of the bargaining committee” for approval.

There were some 200 members present at the peak of the meeting, held in Temple Rodeph Shalom on North Broad Street. Some 275 members, who were unable to attend the meeting, voted by absentee ballot. A total of 567 ballots were cast.

Speaking about the contract, Mastrull said, “it could have been far worse.”
After her recommendation the floor was open for comments and questions. Thirteen members spoke, a majority of them having questions about pension provisions in the contract. Only one speaker directly urged rejection of the contract

After the questions subsided and a motion was approved to start the vote, another motion was presented, and approved after some debate.

That motion “instructs the Local 10 Executive Board to discuss - and pass -- a resolution saying the following:
“1- Because of their tight-fisted, slash-and-burn, anti-labor tactics, we have NO CONFIDENCE in the new owners’ actual desire to publish great newspapers

“2- Because of the new owners’ recent record of poor business decisions, which includes hiring executives while promising layoffs of union workers, we have NO FAITH in their desire to treat employees with fairness and dignity

“3- Because of the yawning chasm between what the new owners promised and what they now are delivering, we have NO STOMACH to hear any more of their cheerful prattle.

“For the new owners we have
“No Confidence,
“No Faith,
“No Stomach.”

An amendment, which was accepted, asked that the new owners be mentioned by name.

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Deal Approved

Brian P. Tierney and Henry Holcomb made a deal Guild members aren't thrilled with.

It's official. The votes have been counted and according to Guild spokesman Stu Bykofsky the yes's carried the day, 498 to 69.

Bykofsky wasn't inclined to ascribe any meaning to the numbers. "I can't say what it means," he says. "But the contract passed."

Layoffs at the Inquirer will comprise the next drama. But for now it's time for Guild members to lick their wounds, and for Tierney to chart a new course for Philadelphia's newspapers.

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The Votes Have Been Cast

A Guild member just notified PW that the votes have been cast. Now it's a matter of waiting to see them tallied.

The membership is, of course, expected to pass the tentative agreement they reached last week with Philadelphia Media Holdings. The question is how many people might have shown up to vote no and make sure their displeasure is heard.

"I'm not going to [predict] this thing," Guild spokesman Stu Bykofsky said this afternoon. "But in the past, the membership has never voted to reject the recommendation of their negotiating committee."

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December 15, 2006

More On DiStefano

We made some more calls on the DiStefano to Bloomberg rumor, and then had another chat with Joseph, who did offer this nugget.

"I have received several phone calls from other organizations," he said. "A lot of people here have. That's not unusual at a time like this."

As for the Bloomberg rumor, DiStefano said "You may know more than I do."

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No Go Joe?

We like the graphic and the thinking behind Phawker's latest item: Tierney's List: Inky Diaspora Begins.

But the information isn't spot-on. Our buddy Jonathan Valania is reporting that Inky scribe Joe DiStefano has announced a move to Bloomberg News. We called Joe, and he says "There has been no announcement about me. The item as it's written is false."

Hmmm.

Certainly, we've heard numerous rumors about various Inquirer staffers quick-stepping for the door. And such departures will ultimately determine how many people wind up being laid off in the upcoming bloodletting.

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Now That's a Memo!

Part plea. Part condolence letter. Part shot across management's bow. Read on...

December 15, 2006

Dear Guild Members,

We the Bargaining Committee are asking you to vote YES for the tentative contract agreement.

What we will never ask of you is to not be angry about it.

Be angry. We are. But vote YES.

It is a contract full of pain and insult. It is a contract that requires sacrifice and trust.

It is a contract that Brian Tierney and the local investors should be ashamed of.

As one spirit-crushing proposal after another came across the table from our owners, we seethed.

And then we processed our anger and pledged to redirect it as constructive energy. The end result is the contract you’re being asked to support – one that is FAR better than the company wanted you to have.

Had we let our anger consume us, no good would have come of it. DO NOT let your anger drive your decision. DO NOT reject this tentative contract. If you do, you will see the worst of the company’s proposals replace those we have now – the ones the Bargaining Committee worked for months to secure.

We were insulted and angry, but we worked through that anger and focused on getting the best we could for you.

So spend the next few days working through your anger and focusing on the truth here: We need to take control of these newspapers through our work. We can be the true owners of these papers.

If we let our anger consume us, we will destroy the papers, destroy jobs and destroy families.

To Brian Tierney and his wealthy friends, it will be a mere tax write-off. They’ll move on, chalk it up as a bad investment and lick their wounds on their yachts in the Caribbean.

We are professionals first and foremost. We’ve been through a great deal together over the last few years. With each insulting development, with each new direction from management, we have endured. We have carried on with professionalism that our readers and advertisers have come to depend on.

We need to do that now more than ever. We are the heart and soul of the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News.

In the closing minutes of the contract negotiations, I told company negotiators to deliver this message to Brian Tierney: “This contract is something no amount of Tastykakes, soft pretzels or commemorative coins will make up for. On our ledger, he finds himself in the negative category when it comes to goodwill.”

With this contract, we are giving him the opportunity he asked for to get these papers back on track. This contract does not, however, require us to give up our dedication, our pride and our resolve.

And that, friends, is our leverage going forward.

In solidarity and hope,

Diane Mastrull

Bargaining Committee Chair and PNI Unit Chair

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December 14, 2006

Long, Dark Night

Newspaper Guild President Henry Holcomb spoke to union members last night at Congregation Rodeph Shalom Synagogue.

Last night's meeting was a pretty big body blow to the spirit of Inquirer and Daily News staff. Here's the full recap of a night they wish they could forget.

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Hard Day's Night

Wednesday night's informational session dragged on for more than three hours, during which the Newspaper Guild's negotiators suffered through the sorry task of explaining a deal they clearly found difficult to accept.

For now, here is Guild spokesman Stu Bykofsky's recap. We'll have more details later.

GUILD EXPLAINS CONTRACT TO MEMBERS IN MARATHON MEETING

The fireworks that some expected never materialized last night at a Guild meeting that lasted from 7 p.m. until 10:20 p.m. The meeting was somber as a funeral, as some hard-won benefits won over decades were given the last rites as a dozen members of the Guild negotiating team, and leadership, expressed bitterness about a contract they are forced to recommend to members.

More than 200 members attended. The Guild has some 900 members.

Guild leaders patiently answered questions about editorial and advertising rules, seniority, the pension, sick leave and other issues. Members were more mournful than mad, and they applauded the efforts of negotiators who have put in endless hours over the course of many days to come up with a contract that they themselves termed a "bitter pill." A few shed tears last night by the end of the meeting.

Several Guild members strongly questioned aspects of the contract and asked about the ramifications of rejecting it at a ratification meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday at Temple Rodeph Shalom, 615 N. Broad St.

"This is not 1985," said Inquirer-Daily News Unit Chair Diane Mastrull, in reference to a 46-day strike, the longest in the papers' history. There is no guarantee of jobs "when we put down those picket signs."

The contract's only improvements, which Mastrull termed "minor," came for the Suburban Writers and Photographers unit. Members in that unit are paid less for the same work as members in the main unit.

Addressing the members, Mastrull said, "you can be angry" and cited a "sense of betrayal" the Guild feels about the publisher, but the Guild's bottom line was "to save jobs."

"Be angry, be disgusted, but direct it at people who overpaid for these papers so we have to bail them out."

Local President Henry Holcomb said the recommended, disagreeable contract, provides a foundation on which the Guild can build when business improves in the newspaper industry.

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December 13, 2006

Ferrick Speaks...

From: Ferrick, Tom
Sent: Wednesday, December 13, 2006 11:45 AM
To: Ferrick, Tom
Subject: To Inquirer Guild members

As you know, the Guild reached tentative agreement with the company last night on a new contract.

To summarize: it is a shit sandwich.

The full details will be discussed at tonight’s meeting.

But, I know that people in this room are interested in the new language re reduction in force.
The current language bases RIF’s on seniority, with some enumerated exceptions.

The new language maintains seniority, but expands the enumerated exceptions to additional beats:
There are 21 beats enumerated, some filled by several people (Example: City Hall Bureau reporters.)
These were beats identified as “core beats” to the paper by the editors across the bargaining table.

However, the TA on RIF’s also includes bumping rights that say, in so many words, that if you held one of these beats in the past and you have higher seniority than the current occupant of that beat, you have the right to bump the junior incumbent in that position with the approval of the editor.

Attached is the exact language of the proposed change.

Keep in mind this is tentative. All the provisions must be approved by the members at ratification.

TF

Revise Article 27.4 as follows:

In the case of a reduction in force, employees who have been regularly assigned to one of the following positions at the Philadelphia Inquirer and/or Daily News for at least one year may be retained in such jobs despite their having less seniority than other employees who are in the same Article 27.2 group.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, if a senior member of the bargaining unit who had been regularly assigned to one of these jobs for at least one year at the Inquirer and/or Daily News is proposed for dismissal in a reduction of force s/he may bump a junior incumbent in that position with the approval of the editor of the respective publication. For each newsroom, the agreed upon positions are:

For the Inquirer:

Harrisburg Statehouse Bureau beat reporters
Trenton Statehouse Bureau beat reporters
City Hall beat reporters
Phillies beat reporter
Eagles beat reporter
Sixers beat reporter
Pennsylvania political beat reporter
Federal Court beat reporter
City Education beat reporter
Higher Education beat reporter
Suburban Education beat reporter
Regional Development beat reporters
Pharmaceutical Industry beat reporter
Public Health beat reporter
Online Breaking News bear reporter
College basketball reporters
Local Sports columnists
Metro Columnists
Restaurant Critic
Classical Music Critic
Fashion Columnist

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More Details on Deal...

The Guild sent out a statement a little after 1 a.m., outlining the broad strokes of a deal with which they sound awfully unhappy.

Here are highlights:

Dec. 13, 2006

The Guild and the PN reached a tentative agreement on all issues at 10:15 p.m. Tuesday.

"It's a package requiring a lot of sacrifice from our members. But it is a package that is far less devastating than what the Company originally proposed," said Unit Chairwoman Diane Mastrull, who led the negotiating team into holding onto many of our benefits.

There's no sugar coating this contract. It is a disappointing, giveback deal.

Below is a brief description of the hot-button issues.

DURATION: 3 years. The contract expires at Midnight August 31, 2009.

WAGES: Employees shall receive no pay increase in the first year. Full-time employees shall receive a $1,500 bonus (paid in two parts) in the second year. Employees shall receive a $25 per week raise in the third year. Due to rising increases in health and welfare costs, it is possible that some if not all of this money will be diverted into the Guild's health and welfare fund which is responsible for your sick benefits.

PENSION: The Guild and PN will work through the Pension Board, which is comprised of three Guild trustees and three PN trustees, to merge with a multi-employer pension plan by Dec. 31, 2007. A multi-employer plan is a pension plan in which more than one employer participates. Many single-employer pension plans nowadays are also merging into multi-employer pension plans which provide economic incentives to companies and which are considered safer investments than single-employer funds.

Because our plan is healthy, it is an attractive merger partner and we are hoping to negotiate a seat on the board of the new fund. Employees will receive an additional year of benefit service credit on their pensions for the year 2007. Once merged into a multi-employer plan, our pension may be frozen, but there is also an option to keep the plan alive, with employee contributions coming through payroll diversions.

The Company will give $4 million to the Guild earmarked as a contribution to the new multi-employer plan or to fund an employee's existing 401(k) or establish a 401(k) for employees who do not yet have such an account. There are however, no plans for PN to contribute any additional money, or ongoing "match" to employees' 401(k) accounts.

There is tremendous financial incentive for the employer if the Pension Trustees can successfully establish a multi-employer plan merger. However, if such a merger does not take place, the company may eventually assume sole administration of the pension fund.

Because so many members have said they have little to no trust for our new owners, we have negotiated extraordinary transparency so we may monitor the plan and additionally, have full legal recourse in the event of any appearance of impropriety by PN with the pension fund.

Despite members' concerns, PN will not be able to invest our pension fund recklessly. Under the strict federal laws of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), the employer shall be obligated to invest our pension fund with the utmost caution.

SENIORITY: There are changes in the reduction in force (layoff) language for the newsrooms and for advertising sales people but not for other job categories. In the newsrooms, all classes of editors, artists and photographers will continue to live under straight seniority. However, there are carve outs for some beat reporters, columnists and critics, as designated by what Inquirer editor Bill Marimow and Daily News editor Michael Days have identified as the core functions of their newspapers. The editor may skip over those classes of reporters as he works up the layoff list. He must, however, allow anyone in danger of being laid off and who has held any of those beats for a year to bump less senior employees.

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December 12, 2006

Raw Deal?

The Inquirer has now posted a story about the tentative agreement, which doesn't make it sound like they'll be celebrating this pact in the newsroom.

We're also interested in a detail that dribbles out at the end: "The Inquirer newsroom is bracing for the possible layoff of up to 20 percent of its approximately 410 reporters, editors and support staff."

Managing editor Anne Gordon had earlier told PW, among others, that the editorial department had been asked to plan for "up to 150 layoffs," which is considerably more than 20 percent.

Publisher and co-owner of the newspapers Brian P. Tierney said the number of layoffs would be something less than 150, depending on what kind of concessions they could get out of contract negotiations with the Guild. So is 20 percent of 410—in other words, 82—the new 150?

We'll just have to wait and see.

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Deal!

Straight from the Guild: A strike has been averted. This blog has almost reached its end.

Keep in mind, however, that the deal isn't really done until the Guild membership ratifies it with their vote.

TENTATIVE AGREEMENT REACHED AT 10:15 P.M.

Newspaper Guild and company negotiators reached a tentative agreement, ending a bargaining session at about 10:15 p.m. tonight.

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Into the Night

Guild spokesman Stu Bykofsky says union reps are due to meet with management again at 7 p.m.

“They are going to go in there and try to get a deal,” says Bykofsky.

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Management Responds...

The language is starting to get awfully complicated, but the way we understand it Philadelphia Media Holdings has supplied the Guild with a modified proposal in response to the union's counter proposal.

The upshot is that this thing is still going on and figures to be for some time yet. The Guild's negotiating team is currently holed up at the Union hall, figuring out how they're going to respond to management's latest offering.

"I have to think this is going to be settled, one way or another, this week," says Guild spokesman Stu Bykofsky, who supplied all of the above information.

Translation: they'll either strike or reach a tentative agreement on a deal. Or not. This negotiation has a life of its own.

The pension has been the sole remaining strike-worthy issue for negotiators since the fourth of December.

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More to Say...

A source involved in the talks says that management is meeting with the Guild again today. And soon.

When the day began, there was no guarantee the two sides would speak directly, so this would seem to represent progress of a kind.

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Tuesday's Grab Bag—and the Voice of the Voiceless

No word yet on what became of the mediator's scheduled 11 a.m. conversation with Philadelphia Media Holdings. In the meantime, the Inquirer's Joseph DiStefano summarized what's happening with all the "other" unions at the Inquirer and Daily News.

Also, we just received one of our all-time favorite things: an anonymous letter. This one is from someone with the moniker "The voice of the voiceless". We've edited for length and to remove the names of the people the writer mentions, but here it comes—the thoughts of a Guild member upset with his or her union.

Read it after the jump.

Continue reading "Tuesday's Grab Bag—and the Voice of the Voiceless"

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The Nuclear Weapon (and more on replacement workers)

Just got some more details on last night's events from Guild spokesman Stu Bykofsky.

"There was an exchange of proposals and modifications," says Bykofsky. "The federal mediator is going to talk to [management] at 11 a.m. and our negotiating team will be over at the Guild's headquarters, waiting for a call they hope will come for another meeting."

Bykofsky says talk that the union is demonstrating an unwillingness to strike is inaccurate. "The strike is the nuclear weapon," says Bykofsky. "If you use the nuclear weapon, everybody gets radiation burns. We've said all along it would be the last resort and we haven't gotten there. If you're in talks for 13 hours, and there's some progress, even if it's measured in millimeters, you probably shouldn't call a strike."

Management's ability to withstand a strike could be sorely compromised. Philadelphia Media Holdings CEO and Publisher Brian P. Tierney is already talking about an unspecified number of layoffs from the Inquirer newsroom, no matter how much he receives in contract concessions from the union.

Since purchasing the paper last spring, national advertising dropped industry wide, leading Tierney to write his staff a two-page letter outlining the company's financial plight, which he said was so severe that without serious cost cutting the company might not be able to make its debt payments.

Whether or not the company has strike insurance—there is such a thing—is one of the many questions company spokesman Jay Devine hasn't answered despite repeated phone calls.

On the other hand, a strike is not something union members can take lightly either. A November 30 memo from the Guild to its members laid out their own stark financial situation: On the eighth day of a strike, members would receive a check for $150; on the fifteenth day, a check for $200; on the 29th a check for $300, to be followed by another such check every week until the strike ends.

That's just enough for Guild members to purchase towels they can cry in.

There is also the possibility that a strike could lead to a bigger war. Tierney has stated he has no intention of hiring replacement workers.

Tierney's spokesman Jay Devine hasn't returned more than a half-dozen phone messages or e-mails requesting comment on an ad for temporary editorial workers that ran on careerbuilder.com. An operator handling calls about that ad for a company called Strom Engineering said they were looking for temporary editorial employees to cross a picket line on the East Coast in late December. Strom Engineering specializes in hiring strike replacement workers. They would not reveal the name of the newspaper company for whom they are hiring.

As of today, another call revealed they are still taking applications.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is currently involved in highly contentious labor negotiations. Their contract is set to expire December 31. Here in Philadelphia, a series of contract extensions were signed after that point was reached. Pittsburgh's Guild President Mike Bucsko isn't concerned about the ad. "I don't think it's related to us," says Bucsko, "because of the way [the ad] is worded and the way things are proceeding here."

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Talk is Cheap

Yesterday's marathon session yielded no tangible result. Here's the Guild's statement:

ALL TALK, VERY LITTLE MOVEMENT

Negotiations between The Newspaper Guild and the company broke off at 12:45 a.m., with the Guild waiting for a company response to its latest modified proposal on the pension issue.

Guild negotiators worked diligently for some 14 hours.

No meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday, but the federal mediator is to talk with company negotiator Rob Barron at 11 a.m., after which a session may be called. Guild negotiators will be standing by, as usual, ready to meet with the company.

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December 11, 2006

Guild Schedules Membership Meeting

The Newspaper Guild has just scheduled a meeting for this Wednesday evening, which Guild spokesman Stu Bykofsky says will be a "purely informational" session, meaning it's purpose is not to a.) vote on a strike or b.) vote on a deal.

The union's membership already voted several weeks back, giving union leaders the authority to declare a strike.

Second, according to Bykofsky, unions by-laws require that members receive 72 hours notice before being asked to vote on a contract.

"This is something we started talking about last week," says Bykofsky, "to inform our members, but it took us this long to find a hall that could accommodate our entire membership."

Bykofsky had no further information on any progres the two sides are making tonight.

The meeting announcement follows after the jump:

Continue reading "Guild Schedules Membership Meeting"

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