The NewsGuild of Greater Philadelphia

HEADING INTO THE HOMESTRETCH, BUT THE TRACK’S STILL MUDDY

June 18, 2015billrossInquirer

The Guild Bargaining Committee met with Company negotiators for close to 8 hours today and made some progress addressing work rules in the Philly.com contract. The Guild was prepared to finish bargaining the Philly.com contract today except the Company came with no new economic proposal for the Health & Welfare Fund. This was especially disheartening […]

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WASHINGTON POST GOT RAISES, WHAT ABOUT US?

June 4, 2015billrossInquirer

Since the Guild’s strike authorization vote last night, there have been two very important national developments: The editorial staff of Gawker Media voted to unionize. The Gawker Media  staff voted to join the Writers Guild of America, East. They are the first online-only media group of employees to join a union. Additionally, the Washington Post, […]

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THANKS FOR VOTING

June 4, 2015billrossInquirer

The Guild Bargaining Committee thanks you for your overwhelming support.   Thank you for not falling for the company’s spin and scare tactics, for not allowing them to pit old against young. Thanks to the new hires for not letting the company divide you with their senseless seniority attack and thanks to the longer-term employees […]

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JUST THE FACTS ON TOMORROW NIGHT

June 2, 2015billrossInquirer

Good evening, As you’ve been inundated by bulletins from the Guild and the suddenly chatty company, we’d like to clarify again what’s happening tomorrow night. Tomorrow night’s strike authorization vote is NOT a vote to strike. It is a vote to empower the Guild bargaining committee to move forward with strike preparations and get support […]

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REMEMBER TO VOTE WEDNESDAY (OR BY EMAIL)

May 29, 2015billrossInquirer

The Guild Bargaining Committee met with the mediator and company officials today for approximately six hours and exchanged proposals. We hoped we would be able to get a deal to celebrate publisher Gerry Lenfest’s 85th birthday, but we made little progress. As we said in our last bulletin, the Guild has set a strike authorization […]

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STRIKE AUTHORIZATION VOTE SET FOR NEXT WEEK

May 28, 2015billrossInquirer

As the Company tries to distract you with attempts to pit union against union and younger worker against older instead of coming to the table with proposals worthy of a company owned by Gerry Lenfest, the Guild has set a strike authorization vote for next Wednesday (June 3) at the Loews Hotel at 12th and […]

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They Got Nothing New.

May 22, 2015billrossInquirer

Because of the “low performance” of the company’s negotiators, Guild bargainers spent a beautiful Friday accomplishing little at the Federal Mediation Office. We countered the company’s latest proposal as the contract deadline of midnight Saturday neared. The company was unable to respond to our counter or provide any new details on their plan to gut […]

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In response to the company spin.

May 21, 2015billrossInquirer

Just because a company says it is bargaining in “good faith,” does not mean it is. For six months company negotiators did not move off their union-busting, poverty-inducing proposals and then when the Guild began to ramp up our efforts to explain the truth, the company spent the last two days revising its proposals. And […]

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Company moves on healthcare-now its worse!

May 20, 2015billrossInquirer

Newspaper Guild bargainers met today with the mediator and company negotiators Keith Black and Stan Wischnowski for 5 ½ hours and the company’s big move came in a proposal for our underfunded health care plan: They want it to cost you more and cover you less. The other key aspects of the Company’s proposal remain […]

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Stop Wasting Time!

May 15, 2015billrossInquirer

HAVE YOU FIGURED OUT HOW TO PAY YOUR $12,000 HEALTH CARE BILL?                   The Guild returned to mediation today with the hope that the company would arrive with the proposals requested by the Federal Mediator to finally – after 25+ sessions – move the process along.                   Instead, company negotiators brought a new […]

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