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51: Fall 2010
It's time to elect new Guild leadeship
Picnic set for Sept. 12
Bonuses paid; wage restoration sought
Bargaining unit less than half its post-merger size
News in brief
I'm handing over the reins to a new president
It's time to elect new Guild leadeship
LOCAL 51 ANNUAL MEETING |
It's a presidential election year for the Milwaukee Newspaper Guild.
Incumbent President Greg Pearson has decided not to seek re-election. Guild members will choose his successor and the rest of our next Executive Board at our annual meeting at noon Sept. 28 at Turner Hall.
Pearson served two full terms after moving up to serve the last two months of the unexpired term of former President Amy Rinard, who left in a 2008 buyout. It was the first time in our local's history that a vice president had officially replaced a departing president part-way through a term; four years earlier, Pearson had picked up many of the president's duties when former President Lauria Lynch-German left the paper but retained her title as an unemployed member.
When he took over from Rinard, Pearson was in his fourth non-consecutive term as 1st vice president, the longest anyone had served as our grievance chair. During his tenure in our local's top two positions, Pearson took a lead role in dealing with an unprecedented wave of downsizing -our largest-ever layoff, four buyouts and the shutdown of the youth-oriented weekly MKE - as well as a pay cut, all in the space of three years, steering us through the tensest of times with remarkable calm.
Pearson, a copy editor, previously served four terms as a steward leader and two terms as an at- large board member.
In addition to the president, members will elect a 1st vice president (in charge of grievances and other contract enforcement efforts), 2nd vice president (in charge of membership and mobilizing, as well as communications and social events), secretary (managing our office and taking minutes), treasurer (our chief financial officer) and three at-large board members (all expected to be active in other Guild roles), reflecting last year's vote to reduce the size of our board from 10 to eight members. All will serve one-year terms, starting Oct. 1.
Once in office, the new board will appoint up to three steward leaders (each overseeing grievances, membership and stewards for part of our unit); chairs and members of the Communications, Social, Health & Safety, Human Rights and Organizing committees; a newsletter editor; a Webmaster; a technology coordinator (in charge of our office equipment); and Grievance & Representation Committee members (to enforce wage provisions, deal with health care questions, and handle posting and jurisdiction issues). Steward leaders and vice presidents will then name stewards.
Also at the Sept. 28 meeting, we'll take our annual vote on whether to keep our dues rate at its current 1% level, a discount from the normal rate set by the international. And we'll decide how many delegates to send to the international sector conference, elect those delegates and designate one to also represent us at the international convention of our parent union, the Communications Workers of America.
The meeting is open only to dues-paying members. Lunch will be served.
Picnic set for Sept. 12
Don't forget about Local 51's picnic, which is a good chance to visit with friends new and old. It runs from noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 12, at the shelter at Gordon Park, N. Humboldt Blvd. and E. Locust St. in Riverwest, where we were last year.
Bring a dish to pass, and something to grill if you'd like. The Guild will provide sodas, water, plates and silverware and a grill.
Current members and nonmembers and their families or friends are invited, and we've also tried to invite recent former members.
RSVPs aren't vital but will help us in buying supplies. To RSVP or if you'd like to help, contact Jan Uebelherr or Karen Samelson.
The picnic will take place rain or shine. Hope to see you there!
Bonuses paid; wage restoration sought
The Milwaukee Newspaper Guild's leadership recently cleared the way for Journal Sentinel newsroom employees to receive a 2% bonus, but not without a reminder that we still expect management to restore our wages to what they were before last year's 6.6% cut.
On July 21, Journal Communications CEO Steve Smith announced a lump- sum bonus for everyone who had taken pay cuts, with the payout amounting to 2% of one year's wages at our current (i.e. reduced) level. Although that bonus took effect automatically for non-
represented employees, union consent was required to pay it to anyone covered by a union contract. We needed to agree by noon the next day in order for the bonus to appear on the July 29 paycheck; otherwise, it would show up on the next check after an agreement was signed.
Our Executive Board met that deadline, authorizing Guild President Greg Pearson to sign an agreement that specified the bonus would not count toward wage restoration. However, board members also sent management a letter urging swift restoration of our previous wage levels.
When we originally agreed to the pay cut, the deal called for wages to be restored for our bargaining-unit members at the same time as for non-union employees, and in proportion to the non-represented group's 6% cut. That language was subsequently incorporated into our contract, which also requires that our wages would be restored across the board even if non-union employees get their money back on a merit basis. Smith had previously hinted that wage restoration might be under consideration for the second half of this year, but his most recent letter suggested 2011 as a more likely target.
Also, although the bonus is calculated as a percentage of our current pay, the contract specifies that wage restoration would be based on our old pay. For example, if non-union employees get back 2% of their former pay, we would get back 2.2% of our previous wage rate, and so on until the full 6.6% is restored.
Here's the complete text of the bonus agreement:
"This confirms the agreement between the company and the union that the company shall make a cash bonus payment to eligible bargaining- unit employees. The eligibility for and terms of the cash bonus are as set forth in Steve Smith's letter of July 21, 2010. This cash bonus shall not be considered a partial restoration of the negotiated wage reduction by which the company is required to restore partially or wholly under certain conditions."
And here's the complete text of the Guild's letter to management:
"The board of Newspaper Guild Local 51 is pleased that management has chosen to provide a bonus to Guild members. However, we would like to make clear that since the pay cuts were intended to be temporary, it is our fervent hope that the company will move quickly to restore salaries. Bonuses, while better than no increase, do not offer employees the security they deserve."
Bargaining unit less than half its post-merger size
The Milwaukee Newspaper Guild's bargaining unit has shrunk 54% in 15 years, and some areas of the newsroom are operating with about one- third of the personnel they had in 1995, according to a Guild review of staffing figures.
Most of the reductions came in the past three years, reflecting a major layoff and four buyouts from 2007 through 2009.
After the merger of The Milwaukee Journal and the Milwaukee Sentinel, and the layoff and buyout that accompanied it, the Guild-represented staff of the Journal Sentinel stood at 285. Today, that number is 132.
Some support-staff departments and job titles have vanished entirely – the News Information Center, metro and business editorial assistants, and messengers. The MKE youth-oriented weekly was created and closed during the period.
Of departments that remain, the largest declines were on the copy desk-national desk staff, down 67%, and the photo staff, down 64%, including the elimination of all photo tech jobs.
Also dropping were local news, down 53% (largely among the suburban and state news staffs); features-entertainment, down 52% (including the shutdown of the Sunday magazine); sports, down 49%; graphics-design, down 45%; editorial, down 43%; and business news, down 13%.
The only net gain came from JSOnline, which was added to our unit in that time, although its staff is down from peak levels.
Non-union jobs declined by 57%. The number of excluded positions — managers, executive secretaries and Washington Bureau employees — fell from 63 to 27.
News in brief
New cell phone policy protested
Local 51 has presented newsroom management with petitions protesting recent changes in cell phone policy for newsroom employees.
Months ago, many in the newsroom switched cell phone plans because of policy changes Journal Communications made.
After people had switched plans, the company revealed that because of tax laws, employees had to be charged for the phones if they were using them for business and personal use.
This created a dilemma of decisions: Do I now need two cell phones? If I stick with one, how much will I use it for personal calls? Can I honestly tell the company that I won't use my work phone for personal calls? Would I have made this switch if I knew I was going to be charged?
Folks were angry and confused. To seek a remedy, the Guild circulated petitions calling for the company to allow employees to choose either the new cell phone policy or the previous method of being reimbursed for using personal phones for company calls.
The Guild also called for disclosure of terms of the new policy, including how many personal minutes we get and how to track them.
Final layoff grievance settlements reached
The Guild has completed settlements for newsroom employees who were laid off in August 2009. The last three settlements were signed in late July and early August.
The Guild had filed grievances on behalf of 19 employees who were laid off last year despite being higher ranking in seniority than others who were retained.
One of those employees, online producer Emmett Prosser, was offered his job back. He returned to work in March. The other 18 reached settlements with Journal Sentinel Inc.
I'm handing over the reins to a new president
 |
| Greg Pearson |
Sept. 28 is election day. Not for the Russ Feingolds and Ron Johnsons of the world, but for us.
It's an important date for Local 51 — the annual meeting to elect officers and at- large board members for the upcoming year.
We all know what the past few years have brought us. There's no need to rehash those cuts here again, but it is a good time to look ahead.
After a little more than two years in the president's seat, I have decided not to run again. There are several factors that led to this decision, but a key one is that a new voice in leadership is never a bad thing for an organization like ours. We are a newsroom full of talented people, and the more of us who contribute those talents to the Guild, the stronger our organization will be.
I can't say enough about the dedication of the Guild officers — vice presidents Meg Kissinger and Karen Samelson, secretary Erin Richards and treasurer Amy Hetzner — and at-large board members Mark Johnson, Tom Kertscher and Jan Uebelherr. They have taken the time and effort to help make this newsroom a better place to work.
Their work is made easier by the efforts of Bargaining Committee chair and all- around Guild savant Larry Sandler, steward leaders Tom Held, Russ Maki and Mary Louise Schumacher, newsletter editor Jen Steele, Web coordinator Craig Nickels and our group of stewards.
It's a team effort, and it has been a pleasure working with this crew. Their efforts make everyone's life in the newsroom a little easier.
It also has been a privilege to work for you in the role of president. It's been a bumpy ride, but it is one we've survived, and we all hope for better days ahead.
If you are interested in running for a Guild position, let one of the officers or
board members know.
Also, we begin another round of bargaining in 2011, and we will begin recruiting
soon to add some members to our Bargaining Committee.
One other vote to be taken on Sept. 28 is continuing our dues rate at 1%. Our rate is that low - well below the national average - because of the hard work of the people listed above.
So, get yourself to Turner Hall at noon on the 28th to show your support. As usual, the pizza's on us.