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NEW! $750. Employee Bonus Due Jan. 15th; 2008 Mileage Rate Now 50.5 Cents Per Mile (01/10/08)
Independent Unit Bargaining Bulletin (05/15/07)
Unions Launch Bargaining with Independent Papers; Company and Unions Extend Contracts (04/15/07)
Independent Union Contracts Extended To April 9th (03/09/07)
Mileage Rate for Independent Unit Goes up to 48.5 Cents Per Mile (01/03/07)
Company and Unions Agree to 30-Day Contract Extension
Wages Increase 2.5% Jan 1st; Pension Payments Into Guild Plan Increase To $32. Weekly
JRC’s Attack on Macomb & Royal Oak Sports Staff Upheld by Arbitrator
Independent Newspapers Contract 2004-2007 (Link will open in a new window)
Printable Independent Newspapers Contract (.pdf format) (Right-click
on the link and select "Save target as...")
Independent Unit Contract Highlights
Contract Update
January 10, 2008
$750. EMPLOYEE BONUS DUE JAN. 15TH
2008 MILEAGE RATE NOW 50.5 CENTS PER MILE
On January 15th, Independent employees covered by the Guild contract
will receive a $750. bonus payment. The lump sum payment is the
result of the new Guild contract that was ratified last Aug. 27th.
Later this year on July 1, Guild represented employees will receive
a 2% across-the-board raise with ad sales staff receiving a 1% wage
increase.
For those using their personal vehicles on company business, the
new mileage rate for 2008 is 50.5 cents per mile. The mileage rate
is determined by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as stipulated
in Article XIX - Expenses and Equipment - in the Guild contract.
The lump sum payment will help ease the financial hardship suffered
by employees, who didn't receive any wage increase in 2007. If you
have any questions, please contact Unit Chairperson Bill Fleming
or the Guild office.
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May 15, 2007
INDEPENDENT UNIT BARGAINING BULLETIN
TThe Guild had its first bargaining session with the Company on May
8th, and the union was given an initial proposal that seeks a broad
range of concessions ranging from pay and job classifications to overtime
and health care benefits.
A recurring theme of the Company's demands is that it needs substantive
changes in the Guild contract so that the newspaper would have more
"flexibility" in assigning work in the Guild jurisdiction
to either managers or subcontractors outside the Macomb Daily and
Daily Tribune.
Among the changes the Company is seeking:
Elimination of daily overtime
The Company only wants to pay overtime for hours worked after
40 hours. Display advertising staff would be exempt from overtime
provisions.
Elimination of sales performance standards for all sales
staff and dropping job guarantees for the remaining classified ad
sales staff
Instead, the Company wants total discretion in who would be assigned
sales work with performance definitions set by the Company. Supervisors
and outside contractors could also sell ads into the Macomb Daily
and Daily Tribune without any limitations.
Permission to use subcontractors to do janitorial work and
allow unlimited use of supervisors doing editorial work currently
in the Guild's jurisdiction
Elimination of regular work schedules including minimum
turn-around times between work shifts
Your Guild Bargaining Committee proposed a modest list of contract
improvements including restoration of wage rates for classifications
that had pay frozen for the past three years. The Guild also proposed
a modest increase in group life insurance and a fifth week of vacation
for staffers with more than 10 years service.
The Company has already signaled that it wants to freeze all wages
in 2007 and will seek significant increases in employee co-payments
for health insurance.
On May 17th, the Guild and other members of the Metro Council of
Newspaper Unions will resume joint negotiations with the Company concerning
wages, duration and health care coverage. In the meantime, if you
want to see the Company's concessionary demands, please contact one
of the Guild bargaining committee members.
We will be providing you more information as bargaining continues.
It is very important that you become informed on how these concessions
could impact you.
In Unity,
Bill Fleming, Unit Chairperson; Linda Addis, John Michalak,
Norb Franz and Lou Mleczko, President, Local 34022
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April 15, 2007
UNIONS LAUNCH BARGAINING WITH INDEPENDENT
PAPERS;
COMPANY AND UNIONS EXTEND CONTRACTS
Bulletin No. 1
The five unions of the Metropolitan Council of Newspapers Unions
met with representatives of Independent Newspapers, Inc. on Friday,
April 6 to kick off bargaining as the Unions work to negotiate new
contracts for our members at The Macomb Daily and the Royal Oak Daily
Tribune. This is the first contract bargaining since the Journal Register
Company bought the papers.
The first session was held at the Teamsters Conference Center in
downtown Detroit. Officers and bargaining committees representing
the five unions - Teamsters Local 372, Newspaper Guild of Detroit,
Local 34022, Mailers Local 2040, GCC Union Local 13-N and Detroit
Typographical Union Local 18 - met for several hours with Independent
representatives. Those representatives included Publisher Jim McCormack,
Production Supervisor Pat Egan, Financial Officer Jerry Bammel and
attorney Robert Vercruysse. The Council was represented by its attorney,
Duane Ice, as well as the Union officers and committee members.
Bargaining Dates Set
The Company and Unions agreed to set up dates for joint bargaining
on issues common to all the employees, such as health insurance. Bargaining
is set for May 8, 9 and 10. The Unions will also have some individual
bargaining sessions on their individual contract issues on those dates.
Individual sessions will occur on other dates also. At the present
time, the Guild is set for April 23 and Local 18 is set for April
27.
Contracts Extended
The prior contracts expired on January 31 and were extended to April
9. The Unions and the Company agreed to extend the contracts indefinitely
while bargaining gets started. The contracts may be terminated by
either side by giving 48 hours notice.
Company Bargaining Theme - Concessions
The Company and Unions did not exchange specific proposals at the
first bargaining session on April 6. We did discuss the general framework
for bargaining and the economic climate. The Company indicated that
the economic situation is poor and, as a result, it will be seeking
concessions regarding the health insurance coverage. Company spokesman
Vercruysse said they want to see the final settlement of the ongoing
bargaining at the News and Free Press regarding health care. The Company
also said that it seek a wage freeze in 2007.
The Unions asked whether the Company was "pleading poverty"
in the legal sense. Vercruysse said that it is not, but the Company
would share some financial and business data regarding its reasons
for seeking economic concessions.
Difficult Bargaining Ahead
This already looks to be a difficult round of bargaining with Independent
Newspapers and its new owner, the Journal Register Company. It is
important that you stay informed and involved. We will keep you informed
through bulletins and the Bargaining Committees. If you have any questions,
please contact your Local officers and committee members.
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March 9, 2007
INDEPENDENT UNION CONTRACTS EXTENDED
TO APRIL 9th
By mutual agreement between the company and the Metropolitan Council
of Newspaper Unions, including the Newspaper Guild of Detroit, the
existing collective bargaining agreements have been extended to April
9, 2007.
As you know, the union contracts originally were set to expire Jan.
31, 2007. We agreed to a second extension as both sides await developments
at the News and Free Press where contract talks are continuing.
This extension means that all the terms and conditions in the Guild
contract remain in full force and effect. If you have any questions,
contact your unit officers or Lou Mleczko at the Guild office.
We will keep you posted on further developments regarding the start
of Independent contract negotiations.
In Solidarity,
Louis J. Mleczko
President, Local 34022
Cc: W. Fleming, Unit Chairperson
Unit Officers
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January 3, 2007
MILEAGE RATE FOR INDEPENDENT UNIT GOES
UP TO 48.5 CENTS PER MILE
The mileage reimbursement rate for employees driving their vehicles
on Company business went up Jan. 1st to 48.5 cents per mile. This
is a 4-cent per mile increase from the 2006 rate published by the
Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
The Guild contract with Independent Papers follows the IRS rate.
Guild members should adjust their mileage business forms to reflect
the new mileage rate when they submit their mileage reimbursement
statements.
Increases in the IRS rate reflect the growing costs of operating
a motor vehicle including fuel, repairs, insurance and depreciation.
In the final quarter of 2005, the IRS rate increased to 48,5 cents,
partly caused by the fuel price increases triggered by the impact
of hurricanes hitting the Gulf coast. The business rate decreased
to 44.5 cents for 2006.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Lou Mleczko
at the Guild office, 313-963-4254, or send an e-mail to: Lou@detroitguild22.com.
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December 22, 2006
COMPANY AND UNIONS AGREE TO 30-DAY CONTRACT
EXTENSION
The Company and the Metropolitan Council of Newspaper Unions, which
includes the Guild, have agreed to extend for 30 days the collective
bargaining agreements that are scheduled to expire Jan. 31, 2007.
The extension was agreed to after the Company and the Unions met
last week to discuss the start of contract negotiations next month.
If a contract agreement can be reached before the 30-day extension
expires, that would become the date of a new contract. Otherwise,
the new date will be when an agreement is reached between the parties.
Members of the Metropolitan Council of Newspaper Unions include:
Newspaper Guild of Detroit, Local 34022; Teamsters Local 372; Mailers
Local 2040; GCIU Pressmen Local 13-N; and Detroit Typographical Union,
Local 18.
The Guild Independent Unit Bargaining Committee includes Unit Chairperson
Bill Fleming, Norb Franz, Linda Addis, John Michalak and President
Lou Mleczko. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact
one of the committee members or President Mleczko at the Guild office.
The Union's e-mail address is: Lou@detroitguild22.com.
Visit our website at www.Detroitguild22.com.
In Solidarity,
Louis J.Mleczko
President, Local 34022
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December 22, 2005
WAGES INCREASE 2.5% JAN 1ST; PENSION PAYMENTS INTO
GUILD PLAN INCREASE TO $32. WEEKLY
Starting Jan. 1st, salaries for all Guild represented employees
at Independent Newspapers will increase about 2.5%. The wage increase
is the third across-the-board pay raise as called for in the Guild
contract.
The top wage scales for reporters, photographers and copy desk
staff will increase to $864.53 per week while associate editors,
chief photographer and graphic artists will see their pay go to
$895.14.
For Group 1 and Group 3 classifications, the top scale will now
be $535.55 while Group 2 classifications will see the top scale
go to $589.11. Dispatchers in Group 4 will have a top rate of $777.83,
and Group 5 rates will hit a top of $520.24.
Maintenance employees in Group 8 will have a top scale of $549.55,
and Group 9 employees will go to $459.05.
Wage scales for Group 10 and 11, which include classified and retail
sales, will remain at current levels plus sales commissions.
Company pension contributions will also go up $1. per week for
each employee. This will put the weekly payment into the Guild International
Pension Plan at $32. per week.
Guild members can call the Guild pension office toll-free at 1-888-893-3650
for details on pension credits and payments at retirement age. You
can also write the pension office at: The Newspaper Guild International
Pension Fund, 501 Third St., NW, Washington D.C. 20001.
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August 17, 2005
JRC'S ATTACK ON MACOMB & ROYAL OAK SPORTS STAFF
UPHELD BY ARBITRATOR
The decision by JRC management to bar Macomb Daily & Royal
Oak Daily Tribune sports writers from covering pro and college sports
has been upheld by an arbitrator.
As a result, management's decision last year to substitute Oakland
Press stories for articles previously written by Macomb Daily &
Daily Tribune staffers can continue and that it poses a threat for
all employees at Independent Newspapers.
"This should serve as a wake-up call to Guild members that
JRC management feels it can take away any desirable work and give
it to other properties," said Guild President Lou Mleczko.
"It is sad and unfortunate that management chose to insult
its staff this way, ignoring years of award winning work and limiting
the staff's ability to produce quality sports coverage for Macomb
Daily & Daily Tribune readers," Mleczko said.
Arbitrator Paul Glendon, in an eight-page decision, said the company
wasn't required by the Guild contract to maintain these pro and
college sports assignments, basically because no one in the union's
jurisdiction had lost their job. Also, he ruled that management
could replace reporter Maryanne Kocis MacLeod's popular health column
with an inferior column written by a free-lancer.
The arbitrator's decision culminated a nearly year-long fight by
the Guild to reverse an arbitrary policy imposed by JRC management
just days after the company took over the daily operations of Independent
Newspapers in August 2004.
JRC officials ordered sports staffers at the Macomb Daily and Daily
Tribune to stop covering all pro sports and restrict their duties
to high school and recreational stories. The papers were then flooded
with pro and college sports stories produced by non-union employees
at the Oakland Press, which is also owned by JRC. The Guild grieved
and then moved to binding arbitration our claim that the contract
and past practice of many years called for continuing pro and college
sports coverage by our writers and columnists.
From January through March 2004, a Guild exhibit revealed that
Guild sports writers at the Macomb Daily produced 10.2% of
pro and college stories while Oakland Press stories accounted for
a miniscule 0.14%. For the same time period in 2005, Oakland
Press stories accounted for 33.5% of all pro and college
sports while Macomb Daily staffers had no pro or college stories
at all - 0%.
The Guild's brief to the arbitrator noted, "For individuals,
the percentage of pro and college sports work went from 70%
and 50% to 0%. Oakland Press writers wrote 0%
of such items for the Daily Tribune and 47.5% after (the
change)."
Although JRC management said repeatedly that the reason for the
change was it wanted Independent Papers to focus primarily on prep
sports, the truth is the emphasis hasn't changed. Local sports only
accounted for 26.5% of all sports stories in the Macomb Daily
while local coverage has actually declined from 34.4% to
27.4% of all sports items in the Daily Tribune.
"The Guild can and will address this issue in the next round
of bargaining," Mleczko promised. "We will continue to
fight for the right of employees in all departments to do the important
work we have done in the past - not just what is left over after
JRC gives plum assignments to its non-union workforce."
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January 30, 2004
HIGHLIGHTS OF NEW GUILD CONTRACT FOR INDEPENDENT
UNIT MEMBERS; BONUS PAYMENT EARLY FEBRUARY
Close to 100 Guild members voted overwhelmingly Jan. 18 to ratify
a new three-year agreement with Independent Newspapers. Here are
highlights of the key changes in the new contract:
Lump sum bonus payment. All Guild members will receive
a bonus check, tentatively scheduled for distribution the week
of Feb. 2nd. The lump sum payment was bracketed to give each Guild
member a bonus of 2.8%, pro-rated for part-time employees based
on 2003's hours.
Across-the-board wage increases. In January 2005, most
Guild members will receive a raise of about 2.5% minus pension
diversions. In January 2006, across-the-board raise of about 2.7%
minus pension diversions. Classified and display ad sales employees
excluded from the across-the-board raises but will receive the
increased pension contribution.
Company pension contribution will increase to $30. per
week in 2004, $31. per week in 2005 and $32. per week in 2006.
Life Insurance increased by $5,000 to $35,000.
Health Insurance. All members will be eligible for Health
Alliance Plan (HAP) HAE plan. Employee monthly co-payments: $25
single; $45 double; $35 employee and children; $70. family. Co-pays
will be pro-rated for weekly deduction; co-payments remain frozen
for life of the contract.
HAP HAE coverage. Drug co-payment $10 generic, $15 brand/preferred,
$30 brand/not preferred; office visit, $25 then 100% coverage;
hospital visit, $100 then 100% coverage; emergency room $100 then
100% coverage; vision annual exams $25 co-pay then 100% coverage;
frames and lenses not covered; no annual deductibles and no life-time
maximum cap.
Dental: Blue Cross Blue Shield Traditional Plus, Denta
Max network of dentists.
Retirees over 65: HAP supplemental plan co-ordinated with
Medicare.
Mileage: New rate of 37.5 cents per mile; IRS rate future
adjustments; no minimum mileage guarantee.
Part-time Hours and Benefits: 28 hours per week to be
eligible for benefits; 28 hours cannot be spread over more than
five days unless employee agrees.
Holiday pay: Employees must work the scheduled day before
and after a holiday, unless excused by management.
Long Term Absences: Termination of employment may occur
after two years or length of seniority, whichever is less. Fringe
benefits continue for 52 weeks based on contract eligibility.
Cross Selling & Job Security: Company may establish cross-selling
arrangements with other 21st Century publications. Guild sales
staff will have the right to sell into any publication selling
in Macomb Daily or Daily Tribune with appropriate commissions.
Ten Classified sales persons have job guarantees for life
of contract; may be laid off or dismissed only if: not meeting
minimum sales performance or fired for just cause; annual sales
fall by $500,000; company can lay off one employee by seniority
for each $500,000 loss; (base year is 2003; annual sales will
include any cross-selling revenue; determined quarterly in March,
June, September, December; compare to same quarter in 2003)
Sales Base Pay and Minimum Performance: Maintain existing
pay rates and scales for the life of the contract ($825.24 and
$562.34 for classified and inside display). Employees must sell
a minimum:
- Macomb Daily display - $5,000 per week average into any publication.
- Daily Tribune display - $4,000 per week average into any publication.
- Classified - $6,500 per week average into any publication.
- Inside display - $3,500 per week average into any publication.
Based on 16-week rolling average. Excused full-week absences
(sick/personal, disability, vacation, Family Medical Leave) not
part of average. Display salespersons credited for current accounts,
unless account is dark for 90 days. Out of season account will
not be considered dark. Employer can establish incentive and commission
programs.
Drug & Alcohol Testing: Testing only after accident with
bodily injury or serious property damage, or per DOT regulations.
If employee tests positive, employee will be required to seek
medical care and rehabilitation. If employee tests positive, any
discipline for positive test must be for just cause. DOT levels
for positives; confirmatory test on same sample; split sample
and save part. Use certified labs.
Family & Medical Leave Act - FMLA Leave. Incorporate policy
into contract, as negotiated.
Military Service: Follow legal requirements; delete old
contract language.
Independent Unit Bargaining Committee,
| Audrey Lasater, Unit Chair |
Alternates |
| Norb Franz |
Bill Fleming |
| John Michalak |
Shirley Sillars |
| Mary Jo Haley VanMaele |
Linda Preuss |
| Lou Mleczko, President Local 22 |
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January 27, 2004
CONTRACT UPDATE
The Guild and four other unions in the Metropolitan Council of
Newspaper Unions have ratified new three-year contracts with Independent
Newspapers - publishers of the Macomb Daily and the Royal Oak Tribune.
The contracts were approved by the membership at a meeting held
Jan. 18th. The contracts feature a lump sum bonus payment this year
plus wage increases in the second and third year of the agreements.
A major feature of the new contracts includes a switch to Health
Alliance Plan for all employee health insurance. For the first time,
there are monthly co-payments of $25 single employee, $45 double,
$35 employee and children and $70 for family.
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