July 16, 2010

The contract ratification vote scheduled for Tuesday, July 20, at the Community College of Philadelphia has been postponed because of bankruptcy court activity.

The tentative agreements the Guild reached with PN Purchaser Co., L.L.C are conditioned upon the outcome of the bankruptcy proceedings currently pending with respect to administrative claims creditors may file on or before August 1.

Attorneys for the new company are preventing it from entering into any union contracts until after Judge Stephen Raslavich rules on the administrative claims, which is expected to occur shortly after an August 2 hearing. We will re-schedule a ratification vote after that time.

The terms and conditions of our tentative agreements will not change, only the date of ratification. If the contract is ratified it would go into effect upon closing on the sale, which is expected in late August. Until then, our current contract, and current pay levels, would remain intact.

We will be in touch with any developments in the ratification process.

In solidarity,

Dan Gross, President
Howard Gensler, Treasurer
Diane Mastrull, Unit Chair
Bill Ross, Executive Director, and the Executive Board of the Newspaper Guild of Greater Philadelphia/CWA Local 38010

 

July 14, 2010

 

We have scheduled a membership meeting/ratification vote from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, July 20 in the Large Auditorium at the Community College of Philadelphia, located on 17th Street between Callowhill and Spring Garden streets.

On Thursday we issued a bulletin about the tentative agreement on economics, and we have since nailed down additional contract language on bringing Philly.com staff into the Guild, as well as eliminating the probationary system in advertising and establishing a labor/management committee which will explore ways to keep our health and welfare costs from rising during the life of the contract.

All new language to the collective bargaining agreement will be posted Monday morning on the Guild's web site www.local-10.com as well as distributed at Tuesday's ratification meeting. Guild leadership will answer any member questions from the floor at the meeting.

We encourage all members to attend, but if you cannot attend you may vote by e-mail. Members who attend Tuesday's meeting will sign in upon entering and then vote by secret ballot, but those who vote by e-mail will be required to identify themselves by full name and explain their reason for not attending the meeting in an e-mail to Election Chair Rita Dooling at Rdooling@local-10.com. E-mail ballots should not be sent until Monday when the contract language has been posted.

In solidarity,

Dan Gross, President
Howard Gensler, Treasurer
Diane Mastrull, Unit Chair,
Bill Ross, Executive Director, and the Executive Board of the Newspaper Guild of Greater Philadelphia/CWA Local 38010

 

 

July 8, 2010

 

 

Dear Guild member,

The bargaining committee of Newspaper Guild/CWA Local 38010 has reached a tentative agreement on key economic elements of a new three-year contract that guarantees no layoffs in the first year. Talks continue on other aspects of the bargaining agreement, but we did not want to keep you waiting on details that will most directly impact your pocket.

While the past year has been a stressful time for all of us at the Inquirer and Daily News as our industry has been in freefall and our employer has been in bankruptcy, we believe this contract gives our new owners, PN Purchaser Co., L.L.C., the cost-savings and flexibility they need to move the company forward and transition us into a 24-hour media company of the future. Counting the concessions detailed below and the attrition of employees who have left since 2009, the 2011 Guild payroll will be approximately $6 million less than the 2009 payroll.

The talks started out badly, with the new employer proposing a 13-percent wage cut. The bargaining committee swiftly rejected such an onerous suggestion. Overall what followed was an atmosphere free of the vindictiveness and spite that had often plagued previous negotiations. We expect this spirit of cooperation to continue throughout the contract, and we will demand that the new management team be a true partner in the years ahead - working with us and not against us.

Here are the key concessionary components to the tentative agreement:

1) All full-time members will be required to take 10 unpaid furlough days per year beginning Jan. 1, 2011. Furlough days for part-time members will be pro-rated. Furlough days may be spread throughout the calendar year, subject to the discretion of your supervisor. Furlough days may not be taken during vacation season or at holidays without the permission of your supervisor. The 10 furlough days equal a 4-percent pay cut.

2) All full-time and part-time members will face an additional 2-percent salary reduction upon the effective date of the new contract, which remains unclear. The exception is commission sales staff. Because they will not be subjected to furloughs, there will be a total 6-percent reduction in commission pay.

3) The work week of all full-time employees will increase from 37.5 hours to 40 hours per week.

4) Shift differentials and meal allowances will be eliminated.

Among the good news:

1) The company will provide a 401(k) match of 50 percent of employee contributions up to a maximum employer match of 3 percent. For instance, if you contribute 6 percent of your pay to the fund, the company puts in 3 percent; if you put in 4 percent, the company will add another 2 percent, and so on.

2) Editorial and advertising employees of Philly.com will now be members of the Guild, an acknowledgement of our long-standing claim that they do bargaining-unit work.

3) Seniority has been strengthened. In the newsrooms, core beats (carve-outs to the seniority system) have been eliminated. So has the second tier wage scale intended for new hires. All so-called Tier 2 employees will be merged into the Main Unit editorial seniority list.

4) There is no change to your vacation or sick time.

5) In the second year of the contract, the Guild and the Company will form a subcommittee to create a potential profit-sharing plan that would not go into effect before the third year of the contract.

Stay tuned for news of further developments, including when a ratification vote will be held.

In solidarity,

Dan Gross, President
Howard Gensler, Treasurer
Diane Mastrull, Unit Chair
Bill Ross, Executive Director, and the Executive Board of the Newspaper Guild of Greater Philadelphia/CWA Local 38010

June 3, 2010

Dear Guild member,

Contract talks resumed this afternoon between the Newspaper Guild and PN Purchaser Co, LLC, the prospective owner of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Daily News and Philly.com.

On a positive note, the employer has expressed a willingness to allow the Guild's jurisdiction to extend to editorial and advertising employees at Philly.com. The specifics have yet to be worked out, but Guild negotiators were encouraged that the company has recognized the importance of integrating its online and print enterprises to maximize efficiency and ensure continued success of the website and the newspapers.

As has been expected, the employer has insisted on concessions. The goal of Guild negotiators is to ensure that any sacrifices are kept to a minimum and cause our members the least possible amount of hardship.

Discussions have included the possibility of wage cuts and/or unpaid furloughs. Both sides have stressed a desire to avoid layoffs in a Guild membership that has suffered substantial staff reductions in recent years.

We broke without setting another date for bargaining, though we expect to convene soon.

In solidarity,

Dan Gross, President,
Bill Ross, Executive Director, and the
Executive Board of the Newspaper Guild of Greater Philadelphia/CWA Local 38010

 

 

May 20, 2010

Dear Guild member,

Contract talks resumed today between the Guild bargaining committee and representatives for the new owners. The parties spent the bulk of the day analyzing a variety of prospects for reaching cost savings to ensure the health and vitality of our membership and the Inquirer and Daily News. The session was productive in large part because the new owners were able to bring company representatives and detailed financials for the first time. The next bargaining session is scheduled for June 3.

In solidarity,

Dan Gross, President,
Bill Ross, Executive Director, and the Executive Board of the Newspaper Guild of Greater Philadelphia

 

May 5, 2010

Dear Guild member,

 

The Guild opened bargaining today with the prospective owners in a civil session that included frank talk about our company's financial condition. Over the next few days, both sides will get down to work on an economic package most likely to include concessions. What those are will be the subject of intense negotiations aimed at giving our members -- as well as the Daily News, Inquirer and Philly.com -- the best opportunity for success. The parties will resume bargaining next week.

More immediately, Philadelphia Newspapers tomorrow plans to mail a letter to all employees of the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News stating that the company is shutting down. This is a procedural letter in accordance with the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act, which requires any company with 100 or more employees to provide 60 days notice of a shutdown for more than 6 months OR a mass layoff of 33% of the workforce -- or 500 or more employees -- in a 30-day-period.

Philadelphia Newspapers IS shutting down as a result of the bankruptcy auction and a new company will be running the newspapers and website. As we told you last week, all employees were fired and re-hired in 2006 when Knight Ridder sold the company to McClatchy and again a month later when McClatchy sold the company to Philadelphia Media Holdings. The same situation is taking place right now.

This afternoon PN Purchasing Co. Chief Operating Officer Bob Hall reiterated the senior lenders' commitment to offer employment to all current employees and continue operation of the Inquirer, Daily News and Philly.com.

In solidarity,

Dan Gross, President
Bill Ross, Executive Director, and the
Executive Board of the Newspaper Guild of Greater Philadelphia/Communications Workers of America Local 38010

 

April, 14, 2010

Dear Guild member,

Congratulations to Daily News reporters Barbara Laker and Wendy Ruderman on winning the Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting for their "Tainted Justice" series on alleged corruption in the Philadelphia Police Department.

These Guild members worked tirelessly and exemplify both the dedication that our membership has to its jobs and the importance of our newspapers to the community.

Everyone who works for these newspapers, regardless of department or duties, should not only be proud of Barbara and Wendy, but also take pride in working somewhere where such important public service can take place.

We would also like to congratulate Inquirer editorial cartoonist Tony Auth, on being named a Pulitzer Prize finalist.

In solidarity,

Dan Gross, President,
Bill Ross, Executive Director, and the Executive Board of the Newspaper Guild of Greater Philadelphia/CWA Local 38010

 

April 8, 2010

 

Guild members,

Here is Bill Ross's response to the company after they emailed the Social Networking Policy to all employees on Monday.

 

Chris,

I acknowledge receipt of the Social Networking Policy.  To the extent the policy applies to non-work related activities of our members, it is overly broad and improperly and illegally interferes with our members lawful right to express their personal views.  To the extent the policy seeks to subject our members to discipline/discharge for work related activities, the employer does not have the unilateral right to impose such terms and conditions of employment without bargaining in good faith with the Guild consistent with its obligations under law.  Therefore, the policy if implemented and or relied upon by the employer in any regard prior to good faith bargaining is unlawful. 

As always, the Guild is available to meet with you to discuss this, or any other issue affecting the rights of our members.  Be advised we will inform our membership of their rights and our position with respect to this matter.

Bill Ross

Executive Director
TNG-CWA Local 38010
1329 Buttonwood Street
Philadelphia, PA 19123
If you have any questions, or concerns please contact the Guild office at (215) 928-0118 or Bill Ross at (267) 240-8540 or Bross@local-10.com.

 

March 11, 2010

 

Dear Guild Member,
On Feb. 18, the Guild sent out a memo regarding “Upcoming Changes to Your Severance Benefits.” Although nothing has changed since that memo, it has become clear to us that some members either did not pay attention to it or did not understand its ramifications. For starters, a member receives severance pay in the event of retirement at age 60, death, termination, or in a voluntary or involuntary lay-off.
Below is the memo again. In a nutshell, the key thing to understand is that after April 30, 2010, Federal pension funding guidelines will not permit the pension fund to pay out lump sum severance because the fund does not meet the present federal funding requirements. Instead severance will be paid out as an annuity. Getting your severance paid out as an annuity means it will be paid out, not over weeks or months, but over years, the number of which depends on your age and actuary-projected lifespan. As it said in the previous memo, “All members severance annuities are different, based on your pay and other factors such as age, marital status, age of spouse. In order to calculate your annuitized severance benefit, contact Cindy Swartz at Richard Gabriel Associates.” The number is (215) 773-0900.
To be clear, the move to pay out severance as an annuity has nothing to do with the movement of the pension plan into a multi-employer plan. It relates back to a move made by Knight-Ridder to turn the North Broad Street Fund, from which severance had been paid for several years, into a “pension” plan for tax reasons and then their refusal and the refusal of the Philadelphia Newspapers to fund the plan appropriately. Federal guidelines for pension plan funding, made more strict in the wake of recent pension fund scandals and the stock market hit of 2008 and 2009, leave the fund no option in the pay out of severance. The Guild will, of course, try to rectify this situation when the company’s ownership situation becomes clear. That, however, is unlikely to happen before March 31.
So, to repeat from the prior memo: “In order to collect severance in a lump sum, members ages 60 and above would have to retire by April 30, 2010. They should contact Cindy Swartz at Richard Gabriel Associates at (215) 773-0900 on or before March 31, 2010 to allow time for the benefit request to be processed.
Members of any age who are considering termination should immediately contact Guild Executive Director Bill Ross at (215) 928-0118 or at BRoss@local-10.com. He will approach Philadelphia Newspapers to request that the member be approved for a voluntary layoff. Any members who are approved for voluntary layoff would be eligible for a lump sum severance payment if they were to leave before April 30, 2010.
In solidarity,
Dan Gross and Bill Ross, Trustees
United Independent Union-Newspaper Guild of Greater Philadelphia Pension Plan
As usual if you have any questions, please contact the Guild office at (215) 928-0118, or Bill Ross at (267) 240-8540 or BRoss@local-10.com.
Below is the Feb. 18 bulletin titled "An Important Bulletin About Upcoming Changes to Your Severance Benefit"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Guild member,

In Guild communications in March 2009 and January 2010 it was discussed that the United Independent Union-Newspaper Guild of Greater Philadelphia Pension Plan would most likely be certified as "red" for the 2010 plan year. That certification has been made. This means the fund's assets are currently less than 80% of its benefit obligations. Under the provisions of the Pension Protection Act, a lump sum payment will no longer be allowed from the Pension Plan effective April 30, 2010. Therefore the severance benefit will be paid in the form of a monthly annuity. This status will continue for as long as the fund is certified as "red."

In order to collect severance in a lump sump, members ages 60 and above would have to retire by April 30, 2010. They should contact Cindy Swartz at Richard Gabriel Associates at (215) 773-0900 on or before March 31, 2010 to allow time for the benefit request to be processed.

Members of any age who are considering termination should immediately contact Guild Executive Director Bill Ross at (215) 928-0118 or at BRoss@local-10.com. He will approach Philadelphia Newspapers to request that the member be approved for a voluntary layoff. Any members who are approved for volunary layoff would be eligible for a lump sum severance payment if they were to leave before April 30, 2010.

For all other employees the lump sum severance benefit is converted to a monthly annuity amount using a given set of mortality and interest assumptions based on your age at the time of payment. The monthly annuity amount is actuarially determined so that it would be approximately the same annuity that could be purchased from an insurance company with the lump sum value of your severance benefit.

All members severance annuities are different, based on your pay and other factors such as age, marital status, age of spouse. In order to calculate your annuitized severance benefit, contact Cindy Swartz at Richard Gabriel Associates.

In solidarity,

Dan Gross and Bill Ross
Trustees
United Independent Union-Newspaper Guild of Greater Philadelphia Pension Plan

As usual if you have any questions, please contact the Guild office at (215) 928-0118, or Bill Ross at (267) 240-8540 or BRoss@local-10.com.

February 18, 2010

Dear Guild member,

In Guild communications in March 2009 and January 2010 it was discussed that the United Independent Union-Newspaper Guild of Greater Philadelphia Pension Plan would most likely be certified as "red" for the 2010 plan year. That certification has been made. This means the fund's assets are currently less than 80% of its benefit obligations. Under the provisions of the Pension Protection Act, a lump sum payment will no longer be allowed from the Pension Plan effective April 30, 2010. Therefore the severance benefit will be paid in the form of a monthly annuity. This status will continue for as long as the fund is certified as "red."

In order to collect severance in a lump sump, members ages 60 and above would have to retire by April 30, 2010. They should contact Cindy Swartz at Richard Gabriel Associates at (215) 773-0900 on or before March 31, 2010 to allow time for the benefit request to be processed.

Members of any age who are considering termination should immediately contact Guild Executive Director Bill Ross at (215) 928-0118 or at BRoss@local-10.com. He will approach Philadelphia Newspapers to request that the member be approved for a voluntary layoff. Any members who are approved for volunary layoff would be eligible for a lump sum severance payment if they were to leave before April 30, 2010.

For all other employees the lump sum severance benefit is converted to a monthly annuity amount using a given set of mortality and interest assumptions based on your age at the time of payment. The monthly annuity amount is actuarially determined so that it would be approximately the same annuity that could be purchased from an insurance company with the lump sum value of your severance benefit.

All members severance annuities are different, based on your pay and other factors such as age, marital status, age of spouse. In order to calculate your annuitized severance benefit, contact Cindy Swartz at Richard Gabriel Associates.

In solidarity,

Dan Gross and Bill Ross
Trustees
United Independent Union-Newspaper Guild of Greater Philadelphia Pension Plan

As usual if you have any questions, please contact the Guild office at (215) 928-0118, or Bill Ross at (267) 240-8540 or BRoss@local-10.com.

 

 

February 18, 2010

Dear Guild member,

In Guild communications in March 2009 and January 2010 it was discussed that the United Independent Union-Newspaper Guild of Greater Philadelphia Pension Plan would most likely be certified as "red" for the 2010 plan year. That certification has been made. This means the fund's assets are currently less than 80% of its benefit obligations. Under the provisions of the Pension Protection Act, a lump sum payment will no longer be allowed from the Pension Plan effective April 30, 2010. Therefore the severance benefit will be paid in the form of a monthly annuity. This status will continue for as long as the fund is certified as "red."

In order to collect severance in a lump sump, members ages 60 and above would have to retire by April 30, 2010. They should contact Cindy Swartz at Richard Gabriel Associates at (215) 773-0900 on or before March 31, 2010 to allow time for the benefit request to be processed.

Members of any age who are considering termination should immediately contact Guild Executive Director Bill Ross at (215) 928-0118 or at BRoss@local-10.com. He will approach Philadelphia Newspapers to request that the member be approved for a voluntary layoff. Any members who are approved for volunary layoff would be eligible for a lump sum severance payment if they were to leave before April 30, 2010.

For all other employees the lump sum severance benefit is converted to a monthly annuity amount using a given set of mortality and interest assumptions based on your age at the time of payment. The monthly annuity amount is actuarially determined so that it would be approximately the same annuity that could be purchased from an insurance company with the lump sum value of your severance benefit.

All members severance annuities are different, based on your pay and other factors such as age, marital status, age of spouse. In order to calculate your annuitized severance benefit, contact Cindy Swartz at Richard Gabriel Associates.

In solidarity,

Dan Gross and Bill Ross
Trustees
United Independent Union-Newspaper Guild of Greater Philadelphia Pension Plan

As usual if you have any questions, please contact the Guild office at (215) 928-0118, or Bill Ross at (267) 240-8540 or BRoss@local-10.com.

 

January 27, 2010

Dear Guild member,

It’s nearly a year into the Philadelphia Newspapers bankruptcy and an answer to the question of who will own the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News doesn’t seem any clearer than it was last February when the company sought Chapter 11 protection.

While the Guild is one of three parties on the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors on the Philadelphia Newspapers bankruptcy case, all that is truly known as to the future of the papers and the company is that the proceedings could drag on for many months.

Since August 31, 2009, the Guild contract has extended on a month-to-month basis and we anticipate it will continue to do so until a new agreement is reached with Philadelphia Newspapers, or whatever entity eventually emerges with control of the newspapers.

The Guild Bargaining Committee has met with Philadelphia Newspapers, and as we have previously shared with the membership, the company seeks to decimate our current agreement, wanting the ability to outsource any jobs in the bargaining unit, to abolish the seniority system in the event of layoffs, and eliminate consecutive weeks of vacation.

The company has refused to discuss economic proposals, though it has stated it seeks further economic concessions from the Guild. We have a bargaining session scheduled with the company on February 8. We will be sure to update the membership after that meeting. As we have stated in previous bulletins, our wages and benefits did not force Philadelphia Newspapers into bankruptcy, and will not prevent this company, or any other from being profitable with the Inquirer, Daily News and Philly.com. One of the Guild’s primary goals during the next contract bargaining is to gain jurisdiction of Philly.com, which has advertising salespeople and editorial employees who perform the same work as our members and whose duties often overlap with the efforts of our Guild members at the print products. The company spends nearly $500,000 per year on rent for the Philly.com offices when there is plenty of room at 400 N. Broad Street for those employees, with whom many of our members already work. In addition to an unneccesary expense, the separation cause an inefficiency.

Our Guild brothers and sisters at the Delaware County Times, Pottstown Mercury and Norristown Times-Herald, all owned by the Journal Register Company, which recently emerged from bankruptcy, face their own struggles. Bargaining at all three papers has reached an impasse and a Federal Mediator will join the talks in the coming weeks. The Journal Register Company refuses to move off its regressive bargaining proposals, looking to implement wage and benefit reductions, and force unpaid furloughs, of up to 15 days a year, on our members, despite the fact that all three papers were profitable in 2009. As Philadelphia Newspapers is also expected to show profit for 2009, we expect Guild members at the Inquirer and Daily News to also oppose similar concessions should they be proposed by the employer at the bargaining table.

In addition to working on contract issues and gearing up for substantive negotiations, the Guild has successfully grieved contractual violations and won arbitrations this year against the company, including bringing an unjustly terminated Inquirer columnist back to work.

The Guild Executive Board has welcomed several new officers over the past year, each of whom is committed to serving the needs of our members and devoted toward working for a fair contract. Guild leaders have noticed an increase in member turnout at meetings and face-to-face, e-mail or telephone inquiries from members.

A good number of questions pertain to the health of our pension plan, which is currently frozen. While the pension fund has recovered significantly from the economic collapse of 2008, it is still under-funded to the point that after April, it may not be able to pay out lump sum severance payments to those who retire or are laid off, though those members would receive their severance in an annuity. The United Independent Union/Newspaper Guild Pension Plan trustees will meet February 18, to discuss, among other issues, whether lump sum severance can continue to be paid out. Members who are on the cusp of retirement have been monitoring this situation closely as some plan to leave our ranks before the end of April if it is determined that the pension fund can no longer issue lump sum severance. The trustees will report to the membership after the Feb. 18 meeting.

Guild members continue to ask how they can get involved. The first step could be coming to the monthly Representative Assembly/General Membership meetings at the Guild Hall. Hope to see you soon.

In solidarity,

Dan Gross
President
The Newspaper Guild of Greater Philadelphia/Communications Workers of America
Local 38010

If you have any questions please contact the Guild at (215) 928-0118, e-mail me at DGross@local-10.com or call 215-868-9049 or contact Guild Executive Director Bill Ross at BRoss@local-10.com or 267-240-8540.

 

 

November 13, 2009

Dear Guild member,

As we are sure you are aware, earlier this week, there were developments in the Philadelphia Newspapers bankruptcy case that probably will further delay the conclusion of those proceedings and may have some impact on the Guild's efforts to bargain a new agreement. Before the spin doctors put their interpretation on these events, here is a report on the current state of litigation and how it effects the Guild members:
1. Our collective bargaining agreement remains in effect. That means, the company is obligated to honor all the existing terms and conditions of the contract and can not unilaterally implement any changes.
2. The unfair labor practice charges the Guild filed against the company as a result of its failure to bargain in accordance with its obligations under the law are still pending. If the Regional Director issues a complaint against the employer, our members will be further protected in the event the employer attempts to change any of the contract rights or benefits. We anticipate that the Regional Director will complete the investigation on or before the end of this month.
3. Regarding the bankruptcy, Philadelphia Newspapers, aka, the Debtors-In-Possession, filed an appeal from the Bankruptcy Court's ruling that the Senior Lenders, the coalition of banks that lent millions to Brian Tierney, and other investors, could credit bid at the auction that was supposed to be held next week. The District Court reversed the Bankruptcy Judge. District Court Judge Robreno's ruling, however, was limited to the credit bid.

As the Judge stated:
"The decision of the Court is limited in time to a point prior to confirmation, and limited in effect to a pre-confirmation auction...The Senior Lenders retain the right to argue at confirmation ...that the restriction on credit bidding failed to generate fair market value at the Auction..."
In layman's terms this means, even if the Debtors bid is the "best" bid at the auction, the Bankruptcy Judge determines if the process is fair. The Senior Lenders have filed an appeal from Judge Robreno's ruling and he stayed the auction for another week.
The real impact of all of this is that the bankruptcy will be dragged out for an additional period of time, perhaps several more months.

During that time only the lawyers and consultants directly involved in the bankruptcy will profit while we await the outcome of the case. No matter what you may hear from any source, only the lawyers won, everyone else comes up on the short end.

In solidarity,

Bill Ross, Executive Director
Dan Gross, President
Newspaper Guild of Greater Philadelphia/CWA Local 38010

As usual if you have any questions please contact the Guild office (215) 928-0118, or Bill Ross, (267) 240-8540 or BRoss@local-10.com

 

 

 

 

October 14, 2009

Dear Guild member,

Philadelphia Newspapers today turned a contract bargaining session into an assault on the Guild’s members and our work ethic. The lack of substantive bargaining on the company’s part suggests that it might be trying to sabotage its own bankruptcy reorganization plan and the entire enterprise in recognition that it may not prevail.

In what should be considered demeaning to every member of the Guild, the company’s high-priced out-of-town lawyer said that an online enterprise such as Philly.com has a different work ethic than what is commonly found at major metropolitan newspapers such as those that we have devoted our lives to. Another company official referred to our contract as a “burdensome industrial model.”

We also heard the company say our advertising reps’ performance goals and disciplinary programs are not strong enough to compete with other media operations.

The battery of unspeakable insults, a thinly veiled attempt to stall productive talks, came during discussion of the Guild’s proposal to make Philly.com a part of our bargaining unit.

The company’s failure to submit economic proposals to accompany proposals that already seek to destroy our contract is the opposite of constructive, good-faith bargaining. It appears increasingly clear that the company has no intention of actually reaching a contract with our Guild thus jeopardizing its own survival plan. The company’s own bankruptcy plan calls for having contracts acceptable to its Stalking Horse bidder (made up of company insiders Bruce Toll and the Carpenters Union Pension Fund, and philanthropist David Haas) before that group puts up any money.

While the company pursues bargaining proposals that strip our contract of seniority, claiming it is necessary to achieve an economic advantage in an increasingly competitive market, it continues to throw money at a costly and time consuming legal battle in the courts. This approach keeps draining assets from the estate, possibly in efforts to do further harm to the operation to spite the senior lenders in the event they take control.

The Guild and Philadelphia Newspapers have not set our next bargaining date.

In solidarity,

The Bargaining Committee of the Newspaper Guild of Greater Philadelphia Local 10

If you have any questions please contact the Guild at 215-928-0118 or Executive Director Bill Ross (267) 240-8540 or BRoss@local-10.com

 

 

 

October 9, 2009

Dear Guild member,

Philadelphia Newspapers this morning reiterated its stance that it is not ready to discuss economic issues with the Guild and that such a position was consistent with past bargaining. The Guild reminded the company that its first bargaining proposal three years ago was to freeze our Pension Fund, which is certainly an economic proposal. When the Guild asked when the company would be prepared to discuss economic issues, it had no response. After the Guild told the company that its proposals to outsource our jobs, potentially dissolving the bargaining unit, and eliminate seniority protection were nonstarters, there was a reasonably productive discussion of less significant contract clarification issues, such as incorporating the new sick time policy into a new agreement, allowing new hires a personal day, and agreeing that members must file expenses within 30 days. The employer agreed to revise a number of its proposals to clarify its intent.

The Guild made it clear to the company the importance of it adopting a rehabilitation plan for the Pension Fund and paying the fund money it owes for severance payments made to our colleagues who were laid off, both involuntarily or voluntarily, last year.

In response to the numerous members who have suggested that we bargain with the senior lenders, we can report that discussions with the senior lenders have been initiated. The Guild took the same position with the senior lenders, as it has with Philadelphia Newspapers, requesting a three-year contract extension with no layoffs for the duration of the agreement. Recent developments in the bankruptcy case make it unclear as to exactly who will ultimately run the newspapers. No matter who prevails, the Guild is prepared to negotiate to reach a fair contract that protects our jobs, our wages, and our standards of living, none of which led to the bankruptcy filing, nor will prevent whatever company emerges from seeing ongoing profitability from the Inquirer and Daily News.

The next bargaining session with Philadelphia Newspapers is Wednesday afternoon.

In solidarity,

The Bargaining Committee of the Newspaper Guild of Greater Philadelphia Local 10

If you have any questions, please contact the Guild office at 215-928-0118 or Executive Director Bill Ross at 267-240-8540 or BRoss@local-10.com.

 

October 5, 2009

Dear Guild member,

The Guild Bargaining Committee was disappointed that Philadelphia Newspapers was not prepared to present economic proposals at our bargaining session this morning.

After our first bargaining meeting Sept. 25, when the company presented its contemptible list of non-economic proposals, such as the ability to outsource all of our jobs, eliminate seniority, and further decimate our contract, we demanded the company’s economic proposals. Not only was the company not ready to discuss economics today, but they said they would not be prepared for our scheduled meeting Friday.

We told the company that if that was the case there was no reason to meet on Friday. The company said there were still plenty of non-economic issues they had presented to discuss. The Guild had an answer to their proposals. “No.”

As you know, our current contract extension expires Oct. 31. The company’s failure to submit an economic proposal more than 30 days after the original expiration date of the contract is unacceptable to the union. If the employer continues this bargaining strategy, Guild membership should be prepared to defend our contract and fight for our futures.

On a positive note, the company’s out of town lawyer, brought in at great expense for a meeting for which management was ill prepared, was free to catch an earlier train back to New York.

In solidarity,

The Bargaining Committee of the Newspaper Guild of Greater Philadelphia Local 10

As usual if you have any questions, contact the Guild office at 215-928-0118 or Administrative Officer Bill Ross at 267-240-8540 or BRoss@local-10.com.

September 25, 2009