February 26, 2009 · 6:01 am

Update on latest round of contract negotiations

The Indianapolis News Guild’s bargaining committee concluded our latest set of meetings Wednesday afternoon with representatives of Gannett regarding our attempts to come to an agreement on a new contract.

We have been making progress on issues such as overtime and expense reimbursement (related to travel compensation for use of a personal vehicle versus a company car), but we aren’t moving fast enough for the company’s liking. Given the state of the economy, and the company’s initial rejection of almost all of our proposals, the Guild today proposed that we would agree to a wage freeze for one year if the company would agree to extend the current contract for one year – a gamble that perhaps the financial climate would improve by 2010.

Gannett legal counsel Bill Behan declined our offer and, on the record, said the reason is that the Guild did not agree to other proposals that Gannett considers a priority. He also said it’s very possible that Gannett corporate may require him to prepare a new proposal that includes a wage cut, although no time frame was given.

The Guild’s package offer would have eliminated several of Gannett’s more onerous proposals, including doing away with seniority provisions related to layoffs and a “same as” clause that essentially gives the company the right to implement any measures it deems necessary to reduce business expenses, leaving the Guild no right to grievance or arbitration over such measures.

We meet again March 11 & 12 at the bargaining table.

— officers, stewards and members of the Guild contract team

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February 11, 2009 · 6:06 am

Update on contract negotiations

Tuesday afternoon, your Indianapolis Newspaper Guild contract bargaining team completed two days of talks with management representatives from The Star and Gannett.  Although we tentatively reached agreement on three minor matters, we are still left with significant differences between our proposal and Gannett’s 12-page offer.

On Monday, Bill Behan, the lawyer bargaining for Gannett and The Star,  told us he was uninterested in any of our contract proposals, which included parts of Gannett’s own ethics policy regarding differentiating news and advertising.  Tuesday, our bargaining team indicated the Guild is uninterested in several of the company’s proposals, which would weaken the working conditions in the newsroom and building services.

We are steadfastly against the company’s proposed changes to our contract that would allow Guild-represented employees to be assigned advertorial work; would make the publisher the sole determiner of which employees are let go in any future layoffs, eliminating the Guild’s right to grievance or arbitration; would keep wages stagnant; would allow the outsourcing of work currently done by Guild-represented employees; would allow the manipulating of the 40-hour work week with split shifts and split days off; and would curtail the payment of  overtime for some employees.

Our Guild, by recently voting to agree to a week of furloughs, has shown that it is reasonable and willing to be flexible to help the bottom line of the Indianapolis Star. But several of the contract proposals by the company go too far. All of the 200-plus members of our bargaining unit need to be concerned and to stay informed.

Although it is still early in the process, the negotiator for the company told the bargaining committee that the Guild better be willing to negotiate a new contract quickly, saying the company’s proposals could get even worse if he receives “new marching orders” as Gannett struggles during the economic downturn.

We return to the bargaining table Feb. 24–.25.

— The officers and stewards of Indianapolis News Guild Local No. 34070

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February 6, 2009 · 7:43 pm

Update on layoff arbitrations

The Indy News Guild challenged separate job cuts ordered by Gannett at
the Indy Star in August and December using the grievance clause in our
Contract. The company denied those grievances, and the Guild —
working with our national and regional advisers — has made progress
as we have sought to take the matters to arbitration.

From the August layoffs: four of the five people laid off were the
most recently hired within their job classification. The Guild
determined one employee was improperly laid off. That person chose to
accept a settlement rather than continue with the arbitration. Thanks
to Guild intervention, the employee will receive 13 additional weeks
of severance (on top of the original 26) and an extension of medical
benefits through May.

Regarding the Dec. 3 layoffs, a representative from the international
Newspaper Guild who will present our case to an arbitrator came to
Indianapolis on Jan. 27 and interviewed seven former employees. Our
representative determined all seven have strong cases to assert they
were laid off improperly. What the Guild will be seeking for all seven
is that they get their jobs back and that they receive all back pay
from the time their severance runs out until they are rehired.  The
Guild and the company have agreed on an arbitrator to hear this case.
The hearing and ruling on this arbitration are still several months
away.

Just a reminder on the Guild’s position on both rounds of layoffs so
far and any that might come in the future. Our position is not a hard
and fast  “last hired, first fired” but rather that the seniority
clause in our contract is followed. Once the company decides how many
reporters, page designers, copy editors, etc., it wants to lay off,
then the employees with the least Star experience in those jobs are
laid off. The contract also protects talented newcomers, allowing
exceptions to seniority for “outstanding ability.”

After the layoffs are done by seniority, the company then can move its
remaining employees around from section to section to fill its needs.
In December, the company did it backwards. It targeted long-time
employees for layoffs, then moved other employees working on other
sections and in other jobs to fill these vacancies.

The Guild position is that a reporter is a reporter, a copy editor is
a copy editor, a photographer is a photographer and so on. Employees
with these skills can work on news, sports, business, features or
indy.com. Many of our current employees have worked and currently work
on more than one section for the paper, its other publications and the
web site.

The company apparently agrees with our position. It chose to
move people around from section to section, from zones to downtown,
from the copy desk to reporting, but only after ignoring the seniority
rights written into our contract.

—  The officers and stewards of Indianapolis News Guild Local 34070

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February 6, 2009 · 7:34 pm

Guild special election

In order to replace our president, who was voluntarily laid off in
December, we had a special election at a Guild membership meeting on
Thursday, January 22, at noon.  Tom Spalding is now president, Geoff
Ooley is now treasurer.  Vic Ryckaert remains as first vice president,
DuJuan Carpenter as second vice president, and Sylvia Halladay as
secretary.

—  The officers and stewards of Indianapolis News Guild Local 34070

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January 17, 2009 · 8:14 pm

Guild membership votes 81-9 to accept furlough

Thanks to you for your phenomenal turnout Friday and today (over 77%) at our specially called, emergency meetings. After an impartial secret-ballot vote that was counted by stewards Adam Yates, Michelle Watson and Robert Annis and Guild member Amy Bartner, the Indy News Guild voted 81-9 to accept an unpaid furlough (totaling 40 hours per employee) to be scheduled and taken by the end of March. Please keep in mind that management told us they will do their best to let Guild members take that leave either in its entirety (4 or 5 whole days, depending upon shift) or one day at a time.

This has been a distasteful process, but thank you for your vote. Your sacrifice to lose a week’s pay preserved jobs — preventing an untold number of employees from being laid off.

This vote is a one-time agreement covering only the first quarter of 2009. While there are no guarantees, we hope this agreement will satisfy management’s desire to cut payroll and protect jobs.

Reminder: On Thursday, to fill a void left by former president Abe Aamidor’s layoff in December, the Guild will hold a meeting at noon to elect a president, first vice president and treasurer. Tom Spalding has agreed to run as president, Geoff Ooley as treasurer and Vic Ryckaert as first vice president. So far, no one else has stepped forward to run, although all are certainly welcome. Also, anyone interested in becoming a steward, please step forward and let us know either by e-mail or stopping by the Musicians Hall at 325 N. Delaware St. The terms of all officers, by the way, run through July 1, 2010.

—  The officers and stewards of Indianapolis News Guild Local 34070

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Filed under Layoffs/Buyouts