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51: September/October 2007Guild keeps you up to date on buyout Guild keeps you up to date on buyoutThe Milwaukee Newspaper Guild is playing a major role in supplying information about the buyout plan at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Managers announced plans Oct. 2 to offer voluntary buyouts to between 35 and 50 employees throughout Journal Sentinel Inc. But if the buyout plan doesn't attract that many takers by the Oct. 26 deadline, involuntary cuts could be next, Publisher Betsy Brenner said. "We are deeply concerned that a reduction in newsroom staff could affect the quality of our newspaper and our online offerings," said Local 51 President Amy Rinard, who took office the day before the buyout announcement. "The fewer journalists we have, the less service we can provide to our readers." Local Guild leaders have been in contact with The Newspaper Guild's international staff - including the top international officers - and with our attorney. Guild representatives also have been meeting with human resources managers to obtain answers to workers' questions. Those questions and answers are being distributed in flyers and posted on our blog. In addition, the Guild has held informational sessions to answer the questions we can answer, and to gather more questions to pose to management. We ask anyone who is considering the buyout to contact a Guild representative. This will help us get a handle on how many people are interested. Also, we can answer -- or help get answers to -- your questions. The Guild can’t recommend what you do. This is a personal decision that involves many factors, but we can try to provide as much information as we can along the way. If the buyouts are followed by an involuntary downsizing, the Guild's role will change from providing information to actively representing those affected, holding the company to the requirements laid out in Article 7, Section 3, of our contract and in applicable labor laws. The most significant downsizing in the newsroom's history came in 1995, when The Milwaukee Journal and the Milwaukee Sentinel merged, eliminating about 100 newsroom jobs. Then as now, the Guild helped provide information about what was happening and encouraged the company to sweeten the buyout plan it was offering. Some buyout provisions were improved, but the plan still fell short of its goal. Managers fired 21 newsroom workers who refused to take the buyout. The Guild grieved on the basis that the company had failed to follow the contract's seniority provisions. When the grievance was settled, 20 received cash payouts and sportswriter Ken Bunch was reinstated to a job on the night copy desk. The next major downsizing came in 2000, when management announced plans to chop the News Information Center staff in half. After extensive discussions with the Guild, the company sweetened the buyout offer. It was attractive enough that 10 people took it - one more than the company's staff-reduction target. No one was fired. Our contract's downsizing language has come into play on three other occasions: * In our first downsizing grievance, in 1985, The Milwaukee Journal tried to fire part-time jazz critic Kevin Lynch when it reorganized the paper's entertainment department to create a youth-oriented weekly section called Xtra. The Guild argued it was not an economic reduction, because the company was actually expanding the staff by promoting another part-timer to full-time and hiring a full-timer from the outside. An arbitrator agreed and ordered Lynch reinstated. The others involved kept their jobs. * In 2001, an early retirement offer was followed by involuntary job cuts throughout the company. Newsroom managers dismissed photo tech John Watson. The Guild grieved on the basis that seniority provisions weren't followed. Watson received a cash settlement. * In 2005, the Guild challenged management's decision to terminate part-time night police reporters Adam Bergstrom and Linda Hanig. The Guild again argued the job cut didn't meet our contract's definition of an economic downsizing because the newsroom was filling other vacancies. Bergstrom and Hanig received cash settlements. With that history, it's a priority for the Guild to protect our contract language, which provides two weeks of severance pay for each year of service, plus 60 days' notice or 60 days' pay, in an economic downsizing. During negotiations on the current contract, management tried to eliminate the notice pay and reduce the severance pay. If the company tries that again in the contract talks that start next year, we'll need everyone in the bargaining unit to stand behind the Guild negotiators fighting to preserve our job security. New president, other board members electedMilwaukee Newspaper Guild members have elected Amy Rinard as our new president. On Oct. 1, Rinard succeeded Jennie Tunkieicz, a Racine County Bureau reporter who stepped down after three terms as Local 51 president. Tunkieicz - who also has served as second vice president, secretary and chief negotiator - was later named to the vacant post of organizing chair. Rinard, a Waukesha County Bureau reporter, served three terms as second vice president, in charge of membership, mobilizing and communications. She also has served on our Bargaining Committee and as a steward. She is the first Milwaukee Newspaper Guild president from the former Milwaukee Sentinel staff since 1962, when Journal Communications bought the Sentinel. The original Sentinel-only incarnation of Local 51 was disbanded then, but the local returned in its current form in 1984. Other officers elected at the Sept. 18 annual meeting were: * Greg Pearson as first vice president, in charge of contract enforcement. Pearson, a day copy editor, returned after a one-year absence to the position he previously held for three terms. He succeeded Jerry Ziegler, an assistant copy desk chief who served for one term. Ziegler was later named to succeed Pearson as a steward leader, the second time in two years that the two have swapped Guild positions. * Sonya Jongsma Knauss as second vice president, succeeding Rinard. Jongsma Knauss, the MKE assistant editor, had been a board member, named in mid-term to fill a vacancy. * Sarah Carr as secretary, succeeding Kawanza Newson, a metro reporter who stepped down after her third full term. Carr is a metro reporter who had served as a steward. * Amy Hetzner as treasurer, for her second full term. Hetzner is a Waukesha County Bureau reporter. Among the Executive Board's five at-large members, the newest is Karen Samelson, a day copy editor elected to succeed Jongsma Knauss. Four others were re-elected: photo technician Dave Kirner, a former Guild president, to his fifth consecutive term and sixth term overall; photo editorial assistant Janine Ghelfi, to her sixth consecutive full term and ninth full term overall; features/entertainment writer Jan Uebelherr, to her third term; and metro reporter Mark Johnson, to his second full term. Also at the annual meeting, members agreed to renew the rebate provision that keeps our dues at 1% of pay, and to elect Rinard, Tunkieicz and Jongsma Knauss as delegates to the international Guild's Sector Conference, with Samelson as alternate and Rinard as delegate to the international convention of our parent union, the Communications Workers of America. Among appointments at the new board's first meeting Oct. 1, the only change in the steward leader lineup was the return of Ziegler to the position he previously held for two terms, in charge of contract enforcement, membership, mobilization and stewards for the copy desk, night graphics/design staff, opinions staff, national desk, newsroom clerks, local news downtown night reporters and downtown editorial assistants. The board reappointed the other three steward leaders: Ghelfi, to an unprecedented 12th term representing the downtown photo, features/entertainment, business news and day graphics/design staffs; Johnson, to a fifth term representing local news downtown day reporters, Wisconsin news bureaus and the MKE staff; and sports design coordinator Jeff Maillet, to a fifth term representing the sports, JS Online and News Information Center staffs. Also on the Grievance and Representation Committee, metro reporter Larry Sandler was named posting and exclusions coordinator, succeeding Pearson and returning to a job Sandler had previously held for more than three years, and night copy editor Russ Maki was reappointed wage data coordinator, for his first full term. MKE copy editor Dave Lee, a steward, was named communications chair, succeeding Sandler, and night copy editor Jen Boyden-Holmes was named newsletter editor, succeeding night copy editor Amy Rodenburg Maillet. Also on the Communications Committee, online producer Heather Gergen was reappointed Webmaster and Kirner was reappointed technology coordinator. Among other committees, Samelson was named human rights chair, succeeding metro reporter Linda Spice, and Uebelherr was named social chair, succeeding features/entertainment writer Vikki Ortiz. Save the dateNext Guild membership meeting When: Noon Tuesday, Nov. 6 Where: Turner Hall What: Update on Journal Sentinel buyouts and discussion of what's ahead. Lunch will be provided. Trip planned to Chicago meetingWe are looking to bring a group of people to The Newspaper Guild's upcoming Multi-Council meeting in Chicago on Saturday, Nov. 10. The meeting will feature a candidate forum for the Guild positions of international president, secretary-treasurer and international chairperson. Another important event will be a discussion among Guild members who are 35 and younger. The group is hoping to shape the discussion of the future of newspaper industry jobs and the role of The Newspaper Guild. You'll meet journalists and other newspaper workers from across the U.S. during this fun day in Chicago. If enough people are interested, we'll get a bus and go together. For more information, contact Local 51 President Amy Rinard. Race develops for international chairTwo of The Newspaper Guild's regional vice presidents will face off for the international union's highest volunteer position. Connie Knox, regional vice president for the southeastern United States, and Lois Kirkup, regional vice president for eastern Canada, are seeking the international chairperson's position. The chairperson presides over meetings of the Guild's International Executive Council and annual Sector Conference meetings. Knox, a Baltimore Sun staffer, is a former president of the Washington-Baltimore Guild and has been on the executive council since 1991. Kirkup, an online editor at the Ottawa Citizen, is the president of the Ottawa Guild and has been an executive council member since 2006. They are vying to replace Carol Rothman, who has been international chairperson since 1993 and an executive council member since 1983. Rothman is running against regional vice president Scott Stephens (representing Ohio, Michigan and parts of Indiana, Pennsylvania and New York) for international secretary-treasurer. Incumbent Secretary-Treasurer Bernie Lunzer is challenging incumbent President Linda Foley's re-election bid, the first time since 1955 that the international's top two officers have run against each other for the presidency. Rothman and Knox are part of Lunzer's Stronger Guild ticket, while Stephens and Kirkup are running on Foley's ticket. A third secretary-treasurer candidate, Providence Guild Administrator Tim Schick, has pulled out of the race to become co-chair of the Stronger Guild campaign. Chicago Guild Administrative Officer Jerry Minkkinen is the campaign's other co-chair, and Jennie Tunkieicz, the Milwaukee Guild's immediate past president, is campaign treasurer. If more candidates enter any race, the February sector conference will serve as the primary, narrowing the field to two candidates for each office. All Guild members then will have the opportunity to vote for the international's leaders. You've earned vacation, take itRemember that dispute about when you can take your vacation after passing an anniversary that qualifies you for another week? There's good news. That week is yours to take as soon as you can schedule it. Here's a quick summary of what happened: The Guild learned several months ago that two longtime newsroom employees each hit their 20th anniversary early this year, which qualified them for a fifth week of vacation. They were set to schedule that fifth week but were told they had to wait until 2008 to take it. It seemed a clear violation to us. For years, employees have been able to schedule an additional week of vacation as soon as it was earned. The hang-up apparently was with a pay-roll interpretation of the rules. While a few folks who earned their third and fourth week also were told incorrectly that they had to wait for the additional week, the crackdown was aimed at those earning a fifth week. The Guild worked with newsroom management to resolve the situation. Newsroom management in turn worked with others in the building to settle the matter. The result is that, as always, when you pass an anniversary to earn another week, you can take that week as soon as possible. Pension disputed in arbitrationOne arbitration down, one to go. An arbitration hearing was held Sept. 12 for the case involving changes to the pension plan. The arbitration scheduled on changes made to retiree health benefits had been scheduled for Oct. 9 but had to be postponed. It will be held in January. Arbitrations are scheduled when the Guild and the company can't come to a settlement after a grievance has been filed. A state arbitrator agreed to by both sides hears arguments and issues a decision. The pension arbitration lasted about 4 1/2 hours and included testimony from two Guild officers. The case involves changes made and announced to the pension plan without any prior discussion with the Guild. The company dictated that employees hired after May 1, 2006, and non-vested part-timers, would be placed in the new Annual Employer Contribution plan, with no option of staying in the existing plan. It usually takes several months before the arbitrator issues his or her decision. 2 management positions cutNegotiators for the Milwaukee Newspaper Guild and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel have agreed to reduce the management ranks by two positions. Retroactive to July 1, the vacant post of deputy features editor was removed from the list of jobs excluded from Guild contract protection. That brought the number of excluded jobs down to 54, not counting Washington Bureau employees and newsroom interns. By Jan. 1, the number will drop to 53, when the newspaper removes another job from the exclusion list. That is scheduled to be the vacant position of deputy managing editor, but another job could be substituted if a deputy managing editor is named before then. The Guild contract called for a decrease of three excluded positions by Jan. 1 of this year, followed by negotiations this summer on further reductions. Management previously dropped the positions of urban life editor, News Information Center manager and database editor from the exclusions list. All three jobs remain vacant. Hitting the ground running
The next morning, several of us met with Scott Zantow and Cindy Wargula in Human Resources to try to get answers to questions about how the buyout offer would work. By that evening, the answers we were able to get were posted on our Web site. That same day, we faxed to our attorney, for her review, copies of the agreement and release everyone accepted for the buyout will be expected to sign. The next week we held two information sessions for newsroon staffers and continued to ask questions of the HR team in another meeting and via e-mails. We brought to the attention of HR that some staffers were having difficultly getting through to HR staff to discuss their individual situations and questions. During the short three-week period in which the company gave people to apply for the buyout, we continued to ask for answers to questions raised by staffers about the deal and for clarifications and explanations about the separation agreement. Then we told everyone what we found out. As is always the case when the jobs of our members are on the line, the Guild had immediately stepped in to fill the information void, gone to managers to get answers and represented with a unified voice the interests of our bargaining unit members. When the dust settles and the survivors of this staff reduction begin coping with life in a smaller news operation, you can count on the Guild to continue doing what we always do to represent you. But we want to count on you, too. Next year is going to be tough. Not only will we be dealing with the aftermath of the staff cuts and subsequent restructuring and re-prioritizing of our work, we will be bargaining a new contract. Our current contract expires Dec. 31, 2008. If you're a Guild member, think about getting more involved in Guild activities, including contract negotiations. If you've worked here for years and never signed a Guild membership card, now is the time to join. It's times like these that we need to stick together to have the strongest voice possible in our changing workplace.
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