YOUR PAY EQUITY QUESTIONS
Dear Guild Members:
Many of you have sent questions about the publisher’s announcement this afternoon that it intends to acknowledge what the Guild has been saying — and backing up with the company’s own data — for years: Pay disparity exists at The Inquirer.
We had asked our consultant to update the results of a pay equity study the Guild released in July. Ironically, we had received the results of that update today, just hours before the company sent out its announcement that it will be appropriating $300,000 to fix pay gaps its consultant has identified.
We do not know specifics of the company’s findings, or how they match up with what the Guild has identified. We will be meeting with the senior vice president of People & Culture and the vice president of labor on that tomorrow as part of a session already scheduled regarding performance management.
For instance, the Publisher’s letter today refers to instituting salary grades and ranges to ensure equity in pay practices going forward. Such things, obviously, are issues that must be bargained with the Guild.
So, stay tuned. We will have more to tell you tomorrow.
At the very least, we are heartened that the Company has moved away from its long-standing position of denial on the issue of pay inequity. But “kudos” would be premature.
In solidarity,
Diane Mastrull, Guild president
Bill Ross, executive director, NewsGuild of Greater Philadelphia
