51: APRIL/May 2006

Journal Sentinel management hints at reduction of 5 to 10 newsroom jobs
Bob Helbig, longtime Executive Board member, leaves Guild for management
Column: As the world turns, we must be prepared to be ready for the future of newspapers
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Finally, management dishes out 2005 bonuses
Congratulations to prize-winning Guild members

Journal Sentinel management hints
at reduction of 5 to 10 newsroom jobs

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel newsroom's payroll will be cut by the equivalent of 5 to 10 positions by the end of the year, Editor Marty Kaiser told staffers in a recent visit to the newspaper's Waukesha Bureau.

Kaiser and Journal Sentinel Publisher Betsy Brenner stressed that the goal was to cut expenses, not necessarily people. They did not say that anyone would be laid off.

However, a crackdown on overtime, for example, would not save the equivalent of 5 to 10 salaries. A more likely scenario for reducing payroll without layoffs would be to let the staff shrink by attrition, by simply not filling the positions of employees who leave.

Management has not said that would happen, either.

But several people have left recently or are about to leave - some announced, some not announced - and none of their positions has been posted as of this writing.

Among those leaving are News Information Center Manager Annette Griswold, seeking other opportunities; pop music critic Gemma Tarlach, embarking on a new career as a CIA-trained pastry chef (that's the Culinary Institute of America); baseball writer Drew Olson, leaving for a job with OnMilwaukee.com; editorial writer Dick Foster, who is retiring in June; and designer Kristian Rodriguez, heading for a position with the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

And that's not necessarily a complete list of newsroom vacancies. Some of these people may be replaced in one way or another. But the odds are that, by the end of the year, fewer people will be working here than before.

The newsroom would still be better off than some other Journal Sentinel departments. Brenner said circulation would eliminate 50 positions this year and an unspecified number of production jobs also would be cut.

Bob Helbig, longtime Executive Board member, leaves Guild for management

Serving as a treasurer, vice president and president in his nearly 15 years as a Guild member, it's without doubt that Bob Helbig has been an integral part of Local 51 practically since the day he joined.

But Helbig has, sadly for the Guild, chosen to take a promotion to deputy business editor, which is not a Guild-represented position, meaning he will be leaving the union.

While he'll miss the union, he also has faith in its future.

"I'll miss my union work, but at the same time, the union needs new leaders to survive and thrive. And for every one of us who leaves, I know there will be someone else to take our place," he said.

He'll miss the problem-solving most.

"What I enjoy the most is working with people to solve problems," he said.

Looking back, it took a little nudging to get Bob to sign on as a member.

"I had never belonged to a union and didn't really know what it was about," he said. "I joined because Tim Cuprisin and former columnist Joel McNally told me I should, because it was the right thing to do."

The current union president, Jennie Tunkieicz, said Bob was a strong role model during his time as president.

"When he was president, he really kept watch of every aspect. He knew everything that was going on and would make sure every job was done right," she said.

Another of his attributes was fairness.

"Bob always worked to be a voice of reason and tried to keep everyone calm," said Tunkieicz. "He would look for ways to compromise so that neither side of an issue would feel cheated.

"I'll always try to keep a little Bob on my shoulder to remind me to remain calm," she said. "I'll think of him reminding me to never give up, to fight the good fight and to keep in mind that we are stronger together than we are alone."

Larry Sandler, the union's communications committee chair, said Bob's work will not be forgotten.

"Bob will be remembered for his tireless devotion to our union. No one worked harder or put in more hours to help keep our local going," he said. "I can't think of any facet of our local's operations in which Bob did not play a major role at one time or another."

According to Sandler, Helbig scored a number of firsts in his tenure with the union.

"All in all, Bob has sat on our Executive Board for more than 14 consecutive years, becoming our local's longest-serving elected leader ever; he has held the treasurer's office for more than seven years, the longest anyone in our local has held that post," Sandler said.

"Bob also helped negotiate our fifth and sixth contracts and several other major agreements," added Sandler.

During that time, he has seen the union grow.

"There are a lot more people involved now, more than there used to be," Helbig said. "We have a lot more people doing a lot more things, and we're sharing a lot more information with everyone."

Greg Pearson, the union's first vice president, said Bob always showed foresight.

"When he wasn't performing some task, he was thinking about the next task or offering advice to a fellow board member, officer or Guild member," said Pearson. "He can see both sides of an issue and offer a sound strategy for solving the problem."

Pearson said Helbig also helped members with one of the most important issues.

"As treasurer, Bob kept a careful eye on payroll issues, and helped Guild members whose pay had been miscalculated," he said.

Bob admitted to his love of bean counting.

"I've gotten a particular thrill out of making sure everyone has gotten raises, and received every penny that he or she is owed under the contract," he said.

Helbig's move to a position not represented by the Guild makes an important point, said Tunkieicz.

"I think the fact that he has been fair and reasonable as a Guild leader is a sure sign that he will be fair and reasonable as an exempt editor," she said. "Bob's not the first active Guild member to make the jump to be an exempt editor/manager, just the most recent.

"It's a great lesson and reminder for those people who like to say to me, "Oh, I'm afraid to join the Guild because the managers might be mad at me.' Or, "I won't be able to move up to be an editor if I'm involved in the Guild.'

"Bob couldn't have been more active, and certainly managers were well aware of his involvement. In fact, I'm sure the managers here recognize that he'll be a stronger manager for having proven his leadership skills in the Guild," the Guild president said.

In leaving, Helbig offers some sound advice.

"To continue to thrive, the union needs to get lots of people involved, share information and ideas openly, and keep up with the changes in the industry," he said. "We can't pretend that the way things worked in 1996 will work in 2006."

And after it is all said and done, Bob has few regrets.

"I have only two regrets in my time at the paper: I should have joined the union sooner, and I should have bought more stock sooner."

Well, Bob, we can certainly agree with the first one!

As the world turns, we must be prepared to be ready
for the future of newspapers

It is not necessary to change. Survival is not mandatory. - W. Edwards Deming Most of us have joked over the years, c'mon, admit it, that when we get cut, we bleed ink. That's how strong our commitment to the newspaper business has been. I love the smell of the newspaper; how it feels, how it sounds. Nothing is right in the world until I get my morning newspapers. And I also love its multiple uses: Puppy potty training tool, fly swatter, fire starter and window washer.

Jennie Tunkieicz

All of that is being challenged, however, as we contemplate how to compete within a still strange, burgeoning technology. When cut, will I spew fiber optics; if I fall ill, will it be because my wireless network is not available? Just doesn't have the same ring, does it?

As we strive to understand, cope, get ahead of and remain relevant during this inevitable change, our labor union is doing the same.

Last fall, at the Communications Workers of America Convention, the body adopted Resolution 1 - CWA: Ready for the Future. The Newspaper Guild is a sector of CWA.

We are all being challenged to do some self-examination. Among the areas we are being asked to look at as both a local and as part of TNG/CWA is what we do well, what do we need to improve and, if we could start from scratch, how would we form a more "perfect" union.

Some ideas are already emerging from across the country. One involves taking CWA's designated strike fund and making that money available for more mobilization and new union organizing efforts. Another suggestion that some people view as rather radical would be to merge all of the smaller locals.

Jerry Ziegler, Amy Rinard, Amy Hetzner and I attended a meeting in the Twin Cities recently where some of these preliminary ideas were discussed. There remain more questions than answers and the time period to brainstorm and really scrutinize all levels has been too short.

I'm skeptical about whether real, bold changes can happen by the July 2006 deadline that the CWA resolution had set. But I think it's an important goal to embrace. Just as we must be open to the changes in our industry, we must be open to change in our union. It will only make us stronger.

Ziegler is leading the charge for our local to examine what we might want to do here to make changes and improvements and what we want to see from the international. Ziegler and Rinard will be our representatives at some upcoming regional and international meetings on these issues. Please share ideas you might have on the topic with them.

Time may change me, but I can't trace time. - David Bowie

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Finally, management dishes out 2005 bonuses

And now for some numbers on the numbers.

Most Guild bargaining-unit members received lump-sum bonuses on their March 30 paychecks.

Under our contract, those bonuses were a one-time payout – not added to our base pay – to substitute for 2005 discretionary raises. They were governed by the same rules as regular discretionary raises, which return for 2006, 2007 and 2008.

Here are some details:

* Journal Sentinel Inc. has met its contractual obligations for the minimum amount of money to be handed out: 1% of the end-of-2004 payroll. That did not include regular discretionary raises that just a handful of people received, so total discretionary pay for 2005 is expected to be slightly more than 1%.

* In all, more than $135,000 in lump-sum bonuses were paid out. Management has given $128,570 in bonuses to full-time employees. Part-timers received $7,392 in bonus pay.

* Bonuses went to 244 people, including 213 full-time workers and 31 part-time workers. The people who did not get bonuses either received discretionary raises in 2005 or were hired after Jan. 1, 2005, and were not contractually required to get one.

However, management did choose to give bonuses to some employees who were hired in 2005.

A more detailed analysis will be coming later, from a study being designed by a joint Guild-management committee.

Amy Hetzner is the Guild co-chair of that panel, which also includes Larry Sandler and Marie Rohde.

Congratulations to prize-winning Guild members

Congratulations to Mark Johnson and Kawanza Newson, two of the Milwaukee Newspaper Guild's most active members, who were named finalists for a Pulitzer Prize.

Johnson, a steward leader, and Newson, Local 51’s secretary, were in the running for the explanatory reporting prize, for their Journal Sentinel series telling the compelling story of a girl who survived rabies against all odds.

It was Johnson’s second Pulitzer showing in four years. He was also part of the Journal Sentinel team that was named a finalist in the same category in 2003 for its coverage of chronic wasting disease.

In a competition closer to home, Journal Sentinel staffers took home the most awards in several years in the Milwaukee Press Club's annual contest. In all, 19 Journal Sentinel newsroom employees shared seven first-place and five second-place awards, including two staffers who won two awards each.

For the second time in three years, the Guild paid entry fees for members who requested it, in the wake of the company's decision to stop competing in this statewide contest. This year, we paid for 14 entries by 15 Guild members, and most of them won something.