The Guild’s Sector Election Committee won’t officially certify the results until May 15, but even Editor & Publisher says that Bernie Lunzer has won the presidency of the Newspaper Guild.
Our local endorsed Lunzer and the rest of the Stronger Guild slate. Our turnout reflected that endorsement. Congratulations to Bernie Lunzer, Connie Knox and Carol Rothman!
Now let’s roll up our sleeves and get this union moving in the right direction!
YAKIMA–A freeze that destroyed some of the state’s valuable cherry crop here has spread to the Yakima Herald-Republic.
Another day of negotiations failed to budge the hewspaper from its proposal for a one-year wage freeze in a new contract. Negotiators from the Pacific Northwest Newspaper Guild met Tuesday and Wednesday with representatives of the newspaper, who say the potential for a sizable increase in the cost of medical insurance is why they have proposed no general wage increase next year.
The company has proposed a 2-percent wage increase in the contract’s second year. The union, after an initial proposal of 3 percent per year, countered with 2 percent each year.
A meeting to discuss the economics of the contract will be held at 6 p.m. Monday, May 5 at the Yakima Sports Center, in the restaurant’s back room. All employees are welcome to attend the information session.The Yakima Sports Center is located at 214 E. Yakima Ave.
On Wednesday, Human Resources Director Kay Gause explained that the wage freeze would have the biggest impact on 64 employees who are at the top pay scale in their classifications. They would remain at their current rate of pay. The other 32 employees who are progressing through the experience steps on the scale would continue to receive their step increases, although the steps themselves would remain frozen at the current rates.
In the second year, the 2-percent increase would apply to everyone.
Meanwhile, the Herald-Republic hopes to keep an increase in the cost of health insurance to 15 percent next year, Gause said. During negotiations, she shared statistics on the cost of the company’s insurance claims, which have exceeded premium income 10 months between April 2007 and February 2008. Containing the increase in the new plan year to 15 percent will require changes to the benefits, she added.
The newspaper said no to most of the union’s other economic proposals, including an increase in the night differential, an increase in the mileage reimbursement and the application of night differential to holiday and sick leave pay for employees who always work nights.
Gause said any increase in wages next year would occur only if bargaining-unit employees adjust the current 75 percent/25 percent employer-employee split on the cost of health insurance. In other words, the employees would have to pay more than 25 percent.
As of April 1, managers at the Herald-Republic began paying 10 percent of the cost of health insurance, while the employer pays 90 percent.
Bargaining will continue on Wednesday, May 7.
What kind of changes would be made to health benefits was another question raised by union negotiators. Gause said there are three categories of changes being contemplated, but among the most likely changes would be increases in office and prescription co-pays.
The company also wants to eliminate the long-term disability plan, which was added to employee benefits in 1997. Seven employees from the union bargaining unit have used the plan, and some are still on disability payments. Their status will not be affected by elimination of the plan.
In a spot of good news, the employer says changes made by The Seattle Times Co. in its 401(k) plan will allow Yakima to open up enrollment a year earlier for employees, although the match will still kick in at the first of the quarter following one year.
The Yakima contract expires in October. At the employer’s request, the union agreed to launch negotiations early this year because of the planned retirement of Gause, the company’s chief negotiator.
Coming on the heels of layoffs in Maine and Seattle, now the Blethen family faces potential labor fallout at the Morning Sentinel in Waterville.
It may be, says Louis Hau at Forbes.com.
There definitely is the need for more communication. Ad salespeople are dragging newsrooms along behind them at every sales call.
Instead of posting more about local layoffs, we’re going to let Steven Pearlstein of the Washington Post wax a little about the overall state of the industry.
If you can’t attend the fundraiser for our Membership Assistance Fund, you can donate by sending cash or your check, made out to the “Pacific Northwest Newspaper Guild,” to the Guild, 2900 Eastlake Ave. E., Suite 220, Seattle, Wash. 98102.
Our fund is managed by the Puget Sound Labor Agency, with assistance payments made directly to such vendors as utilities, landlords or other vendors.
From Liz Brown: I have to dash to an evening of meetings, but here are the total numbers of involuntary layoffs by major departments, after all the voluntary buyouts are factored in:
8 Advertising
16 News
23 Circulation
2 Operations
This 23 is the number of people who will be laid off May 5. In Circulation–the department that always is in line for body blows–the 23 does not include 3 District Advisors and 7 Assistant District Advisors who will be laid off in July.
The Times hasn’t yet given us a list of people who are leaving because their EOIs were accepted. If you know more, please post! Sometimes the information food chain belches data our way s-l-o-w-l-y.
People are anxiously awaiting word from The Seattle Times on the final outcome of “expressions of interest” from people who raised their hand and said they were willing to take a severance package and leave the company.
We may not have a definite list until tomorrow. We do already know that two people in Times Composing will not be laid off because two more senior employees put in EOIs. It’s certain the Times will accept them.
Company officials have said they won’t accept EOIs from any employee who would have to be replaced. If you know anything, feel free to post a comment.
Here are some of the thing I picked up while trying to extricate myself from the Times. These tips really only apply if you’re ready to get out of the newspaper “business.”
A few points as you make that decision:
1) Corporate communications can be FUN! I know it sounds ridiculous, but I’m having a blast. Most of the people in my department are former newspaper/media drones like me, and they’re looking for more (we’re hiring a writer now!). It’s a very similar vibe to a newsroom. It’s really not THAT big a difference. We’re still dealing with the communication of ideas. And believe it or not, one of the great tenets of PR/Corp. Comm. is that transparency is essential. Employees can smell bullshit a mile away.
There are also good stories. Hours after a major tornado hit Tennessee, we had people on the ground handing out checks. We also sent a video crew. I edited the video we shot and built several websites with all the material we had. Our corporate ethos is Empathy and Proactivity, and this was the single most effective form of communcating that message to our employees since I’ve been here. I designed this PDF for us to highlight the response we got.
2) Expect to work really hard. I never thought this job would be more stressful than newspapering, but it is. I also get to go home at around 5 pm almost every day and have weekends off. The tradeoff is worth it. Big time.
3) Expect to actually be compensated for that hard work.
Now, here’s what I learned while searching:
1) Indeed.com is by far the best job-hunting website out there. It’s a Google-like aggregator.
2) I actually found my job on Monster, so I’d say that one is OK too.
3) Careerbuilder is a spam machine. That said, you might find leads there. Just don’t sign up with your real name.
4) Search for and bookmark the jobs websites for all the major employers in the area. Boeing, Microsoft, Eddie Bauer, T-Mobile, and, yes, Safeco (did I mention we’re hiring a writer right now!). Even small shops have places on their websites where they post jobs, and every company needs communications specialists.
5) Broaden your search. I found my job at Safeco by searching “visual communications.” This was after months of fussing with “designer” and “graphic artist,” the terms I thought might return the best results. Go general. Think corporate HR-speak. Start with “communications.” Also try “corporate communications,” “writer” and “editor.”
6) Stress your hard-working newspaper cred. Seven months after arriving the VP of my department is still telling people how he stole me from the Times. Apparently, I was able to perfume the stink of my own desperation. But it gets more respect than you think out there in communications land.
7) Keep your resume plain and professional. And keep it to ONE PAGE! Nobody cares about your college newspaper experience. Tell us more about what you did in the job you’re in now. Stress the big projects, the deadline turn-arounds.
That’s more than anyone wanted to read, I’m sure. If anyone wants to get in touch, I’m at morganducks@gmail.com.
Paul Morgan
