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51: Fall 2009

Layoff-related grievances continue

The Milwaukee Newspaper Guild is continuing to work on the cases of fellow newsroom employees who were dismissed in early August.

We proceeded with a grievance for more than half of the 35 who were downsized. These are employees who are higher ranking in seniority. Our contract requires seniority to be the primary factor in such a downsizing decision, but some of the most senior staffers were cut.

Nine of the grievants already have reached settlements with the company. Discussions are continuing on other possible settlements.

In the remaining cases, the Guild has filed for arbitration, a process that could lead to a hearing before an arbitrator who is selected by mutual agreement of the company and the Guild. The arbitration process can take several months.

The group we are seeking arbitration for includes three employees who had lifetime job guarantees from their days in the composing room. The company has said it feels these guarantees no longer exist; the Guild disagrees and has filed a grievance over that issue. This case also is headed to arbitration.

The Guild dropped another grievance seeking compensation for personal days not taken by the laid-off employees. In exchange for the 6.6% wage cut we accepted earlier this year, all members of our bargaining unit were given 10 paid personal days. Many employees made an effort to schedule those days before the Oct. 1 expiration of the no-layoff guarantee that was part of the same deal. But in some cases, repeated requests to schedule these days were denied.

Most of the laid-off employees were given 60 days of pay after being notified, as is required by the Guild contract. But some continued working throughout the 60-day notice period, and in exchange for the Guild dropping the grievance, the company agreed that those employees still in the office would be allowed to take all of their personal days before they left the payroll.

Another grievance over the company’s suspension of the tuition reimbursement program has been put on hold, pending further discussion on the issue during contract negotiations.

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New Guild leadership selected

Milwaukee Newspaper Guild members have selected Meg Kissinger as our local’s second-in-command.

At our September membership meeting, Kissinger, a metro reporter, was elected 1st vice president, in charge of contract enforcement. She fills a position that had been vacant since letters editor Sonya Jongsma Knauss left the paper to become editor and general manager of MilwaukeeMoms.com. Kissinger has previously served as a board member, interim steward leader, committee chair and steward.

Guild members also chose metro reporter Erin Richards as secretary. She traded places with features writer Jan Uebelherr, who was elected to the at-large Executive Board seat that Richards previously held. Uebelherr had been a board member before stepping into the secretary’s role.

Also joining the board as at-large members were business reporter Joel Dresang and editorial writer James Causey. They replaced two board members who have left the paper: editorial assistant Janine Ghelfi, who served about 10 years on the board, and sports designer Ana Menendez, who was in her first term. However, Dresang, a former board member and former steward, has since left the paper as well.

Members re-elected copy editor Greg Pearson to his second full term as president; copy editor Karen Samelson to her second full term as 2nd vice president, in charge of membership and mobilizing; metro reporter Amy Hetzner to her fourth full term as treasurer; and metro reporters Mark Johnson and Tom Kertscher to a fourth full term and a second term, respectively, as at-large board members.

The membership also approved two bylaws amendments, trimming the size of the leadership to reflect how our bargaining unit has shrunk.

One amendment cut the local’s board from 10 to eight members, by reducing the number of at-large seats from five to three, effective after this election. Because of that change, Dresang’s seat will not be filled. The other amendment cut the number of steward leaders from four to “up to three,” effective with the term starting in mid-October.

Acting to fill appointed offices, the new board chose Tom Held and Mary Louise Schumacher as the Guild’s newest steward leaders. Both Held, a metro reporter, and Schumacher, the art and architecture critic, had been stewards.

Held now oversees contract enforcement, membership, mobilizing and stewards for the downtown metro desk, Wisconsin news bureaus and JSOnline. He replaced Johnson, who did not seek reappointment after four full terms as a steward leader.

Schumacher’s jurisdiction includes the features/ entertainment, business news, photo and opinions staffs. She replaced Ghelfi, who served a record 12.5 years as a steward leader.

They join copy editor Russ Maki, who was named to a second term as steward leader for the copy, design, graphics and national desks and the sports staff. The fourth steward leader position had been held by sports copy editor Vince Butler, a former vice president who served about six years; after he left the paper, most of his former jurisdiction was combined with Maki’s.

Also during its October and November meetings, the board appointed page designer Zeina Makky as communications chair, replacing Menendez; Dresang as health and safety chair, replacing metro reporter Susanne Rust, who left the paper; deputy business editor Bob Helbig, a former local president, as wage data coordinator, replacing Maki, who did not seek reappointment; and assistant features/entertainment editor Stan Miller as tech coordinator, replacing photo tech Dave Kirner, another former local president, who left the paper. The board now must find a replacement for Dresang as a committee chair.

The board also reappointed Richards as human rights chair; Uebelherr as social chair; copy editor Jen Steele as newsletter editor, online producer Craig Nickels as webmaster and metro reporter Larry Sandler as posting and exclusions coordinator. Sandler, a former vice president, also is our bargaining chair.

All of those appointed will serve one-year terms, ending in October. The steward leaders have been working with the top officers to select stewards.

In other action at the annual meeting, members:

Elected Pearson, Richards and Dresang as delegates to the international Guild’s sector conference, with Samelson and Kertscher as alternates.
Chose Pearson as delegate to the international convention of our parent union, the Communications Workers of America, with Richards, Dresang, Samelson and Kertscher as alternates.
Renewed the rebate provision that keeps our dues at 1% of pay.

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Contract bargaining slowed by downsizing

Not that bargaining was moving all that quickly before, but it slowed down even more this fall as both sides focused on dealing with the grievances filed after the downsizing. Scheduling conflicts also prevented Milwaukee Newspaper Guild and Journal Sentinel Inc. negotiators from meeting from early September through November. The next bargaining sessions are set for Dec. 16-17.

In between sessions, management moved 10 previously excluded managers into our bargaining unit. Guild and management representatives have discussed the moves in terms of the ratio between excluded and bargaining-unit personnel, their relationship to the layoffs, whether some jobs should have been posted, and whether some of the new unit members are eligible for substitution pay for filling in for managers. We have reached agreement in principle on all of these issues and expect they will be resolved by our next bargaining session.

Also, the Guild’s Executive Board has named our president, Greg Pearson, to the bargaining committee. Pearson, a copy editor, was already attending most bargaining sessions and was fully involved in planning our negotiating strategy. He replaces Dave Kirner, a former local president who recently left the Journal Sentinel. Kirner, a photo tech, helped negotiate the last two contracts and served 10 years on our board, including two years each as president and 1st vice president; he also has been a steward leader, steward and technology coordinator.

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Picnic unites past, present members

The Guild’s fall picnic Sept. 13 was a rousing success, drawing more than 60 current and former members. The potluck provided plenty of good food, with an assist from grill master Enrique Rodriguez. Former members seemed especially glad to get the chance to stay in touch. Associate memberships are available for $25 a year; contact Karen Samelson for information.

Click images to enlarge

Enrique Rodriguez Zeina Makky and Marybeth Jacobson

Dave Umhoefer, Bill Dowlding, Vince Butler and Gina Barton Linda Randolph, Joanne Weintraub, Marie Rohde and Jo Huebner

Kent Lowry and Jon Olson Meg Kissinger, Verne McDoniels, Dave Lee and Chris Foran

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We're ready for what 2010 will bring

Greg Pearson

Greg Pearson

From the president

If you’re like me, you're probably weary of Christmas commercials on TV by, oh, Thanksgiving.

So let me add to the madness by raising this question more than a month early — what will the new year bring?

The answer, of course, is who knows?

We’re all hoping — and at least some of us are praying — for an upturn in the newspaper industry. Some signs of hope would make all our lives a little bit easier.

After the past year’s mix of pay cuts, buyouts and downsizing, the Guild is ready for whatever awaits in 2010.

Our membership meeting in late September included the election of a new first vice president, Meg Kissinger, and a new secretary, Erin Richards. Karen Samelson (second vice president) and Amy Hetzner (treasurer) continue in their roles.

The board includes the veteran leadership of Jan Uebelherr, Mark Johnson and Tom Kertscher, plus the addition of two new members, James Causey and Joel Dresang. (Although we’re losing Joel and his thoughtful approach to problem-solving to a new job.)

Also recently appointed were steward leaders Tom Held, Russ Maki (to a second term) and Mary Louise Schumacher.

And, of course, having a hand in many facets of our work is Larry Sandler.

It’s a solid foundation of leadership to guide us through the year that awaits. The officers, board members and steward leaders bring a willingness to work and an enthusiasm to represent us all.

During the efforts to recruit people for these slots, I was struck by people’s willingness to serve. This was true, as well, when we asked folks to fill the roles of stewards, newsletter editor and other roles that help us get our nuts-and-bolts work done.

Very few declined. Most said yes without hesitation.

I think it’s a sign of our times. We know what we’ve been through in ’09. We’re ready to tackle what’s ahead in 2010.

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