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The Newspaper
Guild of Detroit, Local 34022 | ||||
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NEW! Talks begin on Free Press Collective Bargaining Agreement (July 22, 2010) July 22, 2010 TALK BEGIN ON FREE PRESS COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT Representatives of the Newspaper Guild of Detroit and the Detroit Free Press met on Wednesday, July 21, July 15, 2010 STAFF LAYOFFS & BI-WEEKLY PUBLICATION LEAVES MICHIGAN CATHOLIC FUTURE UNCERTAIN The announcement July 7th by the Archdicoese of Detroit to layoff five full time Michigan Catholic employees, including three Guild members, is a serious blow to the venerable publication, which has been a fixture in Detroit since 1872. In Solidarity, Louis J. Mleczko Cc: D. Rusin, Acting Unit Chair UPDATE ON UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFIT APPLICATIONS MAKE SURE YOU CONTACT MARVIN In a recent application for unemployment benefits, an editorial employee inadvertently neglected to follow one of the application requirements – calling the state MARVIN system phone verification. The employee thought being off one week as part of the newspaper furlough didn’t require calling MARVIN. As a result, the unemployment agency rejected his unemployment claim. The Guild bulletin on filing for unemployment benefits didn’t specifically mention calling MARVIN for those going on a one-week furlough. This bulletin reminds those still facing one-week furloughs to call MARVIN as part of your application. The state will ask if you are seeking employment, and the answer is obviously “yes.” It is with your existing employer – the newspaper. When the agency prompts gives you a date to call MARVIN – don’t ignore it. Otherwise, it will place Detroit Free Press – Detroit Newspaper Guild Pension Fund To all Participants of the Detroit Free Press – Detroit Newspaper Guild Pension Fund: On behalf of the Trustees of the Detroit Free Press – Detroit Newspaper Guild Pension Fund, we would like to take this opportunity to inform you that effective June 15, 2010,BeneSys will become your new Third Party Benefit Administrator. Your current Benefit Administrator, Mercer and BeneSys are working together to assure that this transition is a smooth and easy one for you and your dependents. Detroit Free Press – Detroit Newspaper Guild If you have any questions, please feel free to call the Benefit Office at (248) 641-4919. June 7, 2010
While these benefit reductions are painful, the Guild plan remains financially stable and, like all defined benefit pensions, is insured by the federal government (Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp). To find out what your pension benefit will be, you can request specific data from: Scott Bush, assistant to the trustees, TNGIPP, phone 1-888-893-3650; or mail: 501 Third St. N.W., Washington D.C. 20001-2797. E-mail Bush at: sbush@cwa-union.org. DETROIT NEWS AGREES TO 5-YEAR COMMITMENT TO REMAIN IN GUILD PENSION PLAN The Detroit News and the Newspaper Guild of Detroit have signed documents requiring the Company and the Union to continue participation in The Newspaper Guild International Pension Plan (TNGIPP) for the next five years.
DMP AGREES TO 5-YEAR COMMITMENT TO REMAIN IN GUILD PENSION PLAN The Detroit Media Partnership (DMP) and the Newspaper Guild of Detroit have signed documents requiring the Company and the union to continue participation in The Newspaper Guild International Pension Plan (TNGIPP) for the next five years. This agreement came after TNGIPP trustees notified the DMP and Local 34022 that the significant financial losses incurred by the plan during the past two years required the bargaining parties to adopt a new schedule of benefits accrual to comply with federal law. That law, the Pension Protection Act of 2006, requires all defined benefit pension plans, such as yours, must adopt a “Rehabilitation Plan” if the funding status falls into a “Red Zone” financial status. What does this mean for you?
If you have further questions, please contact President Lou Mleczko at the Local 34022 office: 313-963-4254. FILING FOR UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS When you schedule your one-week unpaid furlough, you will be eligible to file for unemployment benefits with the State of Michigan. The same rules apply for those being laid off indefinitely. Here are some steps to follow in making an application for unemployment aid:
LOCAL & UNIT ELECTION RESULTS 2010
Congratulations to all of the elected Guild members! CRIMINAL ACTIVITY STILL PLAGUING DMP LOT #1; A new wave of vandalism and theft from vehicles parked in DMP Lot #1 at W. Lafayette Blvd. & Third has triggered another round of warnings from the Detroit Media Partnership. Employees, whose shifts include afternoon and Midnight work schedules, are again being urged to park their vehicles in the 9-story DMP Garage on Third. According to Human Resources, employees with valid ID can park in that facility from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. on weekdays and from 6 p.m. Friday to 7 a.m. Monday on weekends.
GUILD INTERNATIONAL FILES FOR SEAT ON
MEDIANEWS CREDITORS COMMITTEE Following the bankruptcy filing made last Friday by the MediaNews' corporate affiliate - Affiliated Media Inc.- The Newspaper Guild (TNG) has decided to seek a seat on the Creditors Committee that will be appointed by the federal Bankruptcy Court in Delaware. TNG President Bernie Lunzer issued the following statement:
NEWSPAPER GUILD MONITORING CHAPTER 11
FILING BY MEDIANEWS CORP. HOLDING CO. By now you've all seen the news that MediaNews has, in consultation with its lenders, created a "prepackaged" bankruptcy filing for its holding company, Affiliated Media Inc. That means instead of filing and then dealing with the debt afterward, there is already a plan to address the debts owed to creditors. The company has said that daily newspaper operations will not be affected, and employees will continue to receive pay and benefits as usual. At this point, we have no reason to disbelieve these statements. That said, we are taking the situation very seriously, seeking research and resources from the highest level of the Guild - and plan to hold the company to its promises. We have retained legal counsel with expertise in bankruptcy proceedings and will take all necessary steps to ensure our voice is heard and the interests of our members and retirees are protected. Last week, The Newspaper Guild began pulling together research and resources on restructuring scenarios. Carol Rothman, TNG's Secretary-Treasurer, has made herself available to run through various scenarios related to the debt restructuring and to answer questions about what might happen next. "The Guild, with help from CWA, has been proactive in addressing bankruptcies in our industry. Being named to the creditors' committee in five cases is one example. We must get our members, locals and contracts through to the other end of this process, with some confidence that they can influence the results," Rothman said. It's important to note that, unlike many of the high-profile media company bankruptcies, the company that operates our papers is not planning to file for bankruptcy reorganization. Rather, the MediaNews holding company - Affiliated Media Inc. - is filing. In general, a holding company controls a company's stock and oversees top management but does not run day-to-day operations. According to the company's statements, the debt to be restructured is related largely to past purchases of newspapers, not bills to local vendors at individual properties. Guild leaders from MediaNews papers around the nation met last weekend in San Francisco to discuss this news, its consequences, and general bargaining issues. It's no secret that MediaNews has struggled mightily over this past year to make debt payments, with many layoffs and cuts as a result. We are heartened by management's portrayal of this debt reorganization as a change for the better - and are prepared to work together to rebuild our industry. If you have any specific questions, please don't hesitate to contact
your stewards or local representatives. We will pass along any news
or details as soon as we have them.
NEWS GUILD MEMBERS APPROVE ONE-WEEK FURLOUGH Guild members at the Detroit News Saturday voted overwhelmingly to approve a one-week unpaid furlough as part of an effort to avoid layoffs of editorial employees. The secret, paper ballot vote requires all management employees to also take a one-week unpaid furlough during the same time period - Jan. 1, 2010 to Aug. 14, 2010. As part of the agreement, the Company will give employees at least two weeks notice of their furlough weeks. Employees may request furlough days, either one day at a time or more than one day at a time. However, requested furlough days may be taken only with prior management approval. The Company agreed that there will be no involuntary layoffs in any job classification between now and May 1, 2010. It is important to note that all employees will be eligible to file for state unemployment benefits during the furlough week. We will be providing more details on how to apply shortly. During your time off, you will be prohibited from doing any work
for the News, including work done at home, on-line, via the telephone
or by fax. News management will be providing more details on those
procedures as well. Special thanks to the Guild Bargaining Committee - Unit Chairperson Santiago Esparza and Reporter Nathan Hurst - for their hard work on behalf of all News Editorial employees. TENTATIVE AGREEMENT WITH DETROIT NEWS
REGARDING FURLOUGHS Guild representatives met with Detroit News representatives on November 11 and 23 concerning staff reductions and a proposal by the News that bargaining unit members take one-week unpaid furloughs. These meetings followed an October meeting between Detroit Media Partnership and all the newspaper unions. In that meeting, DMP announced approximately 65 layoffs in all bargaining units, including editorial units, and requested concessions regarding health insurance. As we previously reported, no agreement was reached with DMP at that time. The meetings with the News focused only on the News' budgetary issues. In October, the News solicited voluntary severances and seven people accepted, so that reduced size of the budget crunch to be addressed. Still, the News was seeking substantial additional savings, due to the current economic climate and its impact on newspaper revenue. In October, the DMP provided to the Unions detailed financial information concerning DMP, the News and the Free Press. On November 23, we re-visited News' financial issues. Suffice it to say, the picture is not pretty and the Guild is satisfied that the News' request for concessions is based on real and significant problems. We also reviewed what the alternatives to furloughs might be. The answer was that in the absence of furloughs, the News would be forced to implement other cost savings, including involuntary layoffs. In bargaining with the News, the Guild's position was that if there were to be an agreement on unpaid furloughs, there had to be something in it for the bargaining unit - a specific period of protection against involuntary layoffs. We also said that equality of sacrifice was a condition of our acceptance of furloughs - we would take furloughs if non-bargaining unit employees had the same furloughs, during the same period of time. We also requested the right to request furlough days to fit the needs of the employees. The Guild and the News reached a Tentative Agreement that:
In addition, we confirmed that non-bargaining unit employees would also be required to take one-week furloughs during the same period. Guild members will vote on the Tentative Agreement on SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2010, AT 2:00 P.M. IN THE 10TH FLOOR CONFERENCE ROOM OF THE MICHIGAN BUILDING, 220 BAGLEY AVENUE, DETROIT. This is a critically important meeting. The issues are significant and complex. It imperative that Guild members come to the meeting, fully understand the ramifications of their vote, and cast their vote. In Solidarity, Lou Mleczko, President; Santiago Esparza, Unit Chair; Nathan Hurst
THE GUILD FIGHTS FOR YOU As Guild members at The Detroit News prepare to vote Saturday, Dec. 5th on a proposal to save jobs, it is time to remind free riders (non-members) of what we've accomplished in this current round of negotiations with the Company. When the News announced last month that it must seek concessions, the Guild bargaining committee put forth proposals to protect your jobs plus save the Company hundreds of thousands of dollars annually. The Guild proposed a lower HAP premium increase of 9.5% to take place Jan. 1, 2010. In exchange for slightly higher monthly co-payment percentages and a front-end deductible, the Guild proposed locking down these rates until Dec. 31, 2011. Those changes would have held the HAP premium increase to approximately 5% instead of 9.5%. We also proposed agency shop language under which all employees in the bargaining unit represented by the Guild would pay a share of the cost of negotiating and administering the collective bargaining agreement and benefit plans. Employees would not have to become members but would have to pay an agency fee. Through their diligence and determination, the Guild bargaining committee preserved existing jobs by allowing seven staffers to voluntarily quit and receive severance pay. The tentative agreement does require all bargaining unit employees to sacrifice a week's worth of pay between Jan. 1 and Aug. 14, 2010. We successfully demanded that supervisors share the pain of a one-week unpaid furlough during the same time period. During this month of deliberations, we want to make it clear we never stopped working on your behalf. The Company refused to require all bargaining unit employees to pay their fair share via agency fees. That's where you come in. If you want a voice in your future, join the Guild today. If you sign up before the close of business on Friday, Dec. 4th, you can participate in Saturday's Dec. 5th vote. Responsible and effective union representation costs money, and its time for you to pay your fair share. Almost 60% of your News colleagues are Guild members, but they are burdened by 100% of the cost of representing you. Contact any member of the bargaining committee or Guild unit officer
about signing membership cards so you can have a voice in your future.
It's the fair and right thing to do. In Solidarity, Santiago Esparza, Unit Chair; Nathan Hurst, Lou Mleczko, Local 34022 President
GUILD MEMBERSHIP APPROVES ONE-WEEK FURLOUGH At a well-attended special unit meeting Sunday, Guild members at the Free Press voted to accept a one-week unpaid furlough to avert the immediate layoff of more than a half-dozen editorial employees. The secret ballot vote on the proposal hinged in part on a no layoff guarantee until April 1, 2010. The agreement also calls for supervisory, or "non-bargaining unit employees", to also take a one-week unpaid furlough during the same six month time period Jan. 1, 2010 until June 30, 2010. Employees in the Guild bargaining unit will be permitted to request furloughs in "daily increments" with prior management approval. Guild members were understandably concerned that the Company's commitment that supervisors share the pain of a one-week furlough was couched in language as part of a note in parentheses. It was not as strong nor as clear as the Guild's proposed language that made the one-week layoff "contingent" on managers enduring the same sacrifice. But after considering alternative Guild language, the membership
decided to vote on the version put forth by the Company. The Guild will be providing further details about applications for state unemployment benefits before the first unpaid furloughs are scheduled after January 1st. Special thanks to the Guild Bargaining Committee for their hard work
on behalf of all Free Press editorial employees including Jocelyn
Faniel-Heard, Unit Chairperson; M.L. Elrick, Vice-Chairperson; and
Patty Montemurri.
GUILD FIGHTS FOR ALL JOBS After weeks of trying to find an alternative to the Company's plan for lay-offs, the Guild received Monday a final proposal from the Free Press. The Guild's objectives were simple: save all jobs targeted for layoff, provide a guarantee of job security, and make sure everyone shares the burden of any cost savings plan. In response to Guild concerns, the Company proposed that it would not lay anyone off and guarantee no layoffs prior to April 1, 2010. The Company had never formally offered a furlough-for-jobs proposal before, although it had suggested on Oct. 15 that it layoff only three bargaining unit workers in return for a one-week unpaid furlough. The Guild objected to this plan, but when we offered to bring it to you for a vote, the Company withdrew the offer. This final proposal not only avoids involuntary layoffs for now, it prevents one additional layoff the Company said will need to make if no deal is reached. The Guild insisted that management also take an unpaid week-long furlough. (See the reverse side). Only Guild members may vote on this proposal. But you may join the Guild by the end of business on Friday, Nov. 20th by signing membership cards. If you join by then, you can attend and vote at Sunday's meeting. This is a prime time to consider joining the people who are working
tirelessly to protect your benefits and save your jobs. In Solidarity, Jocelyn Faniel-Heard, Unit Chairperson; M.L. Elrick, Vice-Chairperson; Patty Montemurri, Lou Mleczko, President
GUILD AND FREE PRESS BARGAIN OVER LAYOFFS
AND FURLOUGHS Guild and Free Press representatives met again last week to discuss the layoffs of seven staffers announced last month. The Free Press proposed that it would not proceed with those layoffs if the Guild would accept one-week unpaid furloughs for all bargaining unit employees. This was a modification of the Company's position on October 15 that it would rescind only three of the seven layoffs in exchange for one-week unpaid furloughs of all employees. The Guild reiterated the position we took in October that there must be some assurance as to exactly how long the layoffs would be avoided in exchange for furloughs. If the Company retained the right to reinstate the layoffs at any time, an agreement on furloughs would provide no real benefit to bargaining unit employees. We also reiterated our position that any agreement on bargaining unit furloughs would be contingent on other employees having the same furloughs. We also re-proposed "agency shop" language. The Free Press made a proposal as follows:
The proposal also included the following: "(Note: non-bargaining unit staff would also take one week of unpaid furlough by June 30, 2010.)" The Guild is attempting to find out why the Company put this principle on equality of sacrifice in parentheses and called it a "note." The Guild committee advised the Free Press that we will take the Company's proposal to the Guild membership for a vote. We will meet on SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, AT 11:00 A.M. IN THE 10TH FLOOR CONFERENCE ROOM OF THE MICHIGAN BUILDING, 220 BAGLEY AVENUE, DETROIT. This is a critically important meeting. The issues are significant and complex. It imperative that Guild members come to the meeting, fully understand the ramifications of their vote and cast their vote. In Solidarity, Lou Mleczko, President; Jocelyn Faniel-Heard, Unit
Chair;
FREE PRESS OUTLINES VOLUNTARY SEVERANCE
TERMS In response to a Guild letter to the Free Press, the Company clarified what it will offer to employees who voluntarily terminate their employment by Nov.17:
Under the Guild/Free Press pension plan, the regular retirement age is 62. If you choose to retire prior to age 62, there is a 6% annual reduction in your monthly benefit. The earliest that you may be eligible for a pension is age 55. For more details about your benefit, contact Debbie Strandhagen at the Mercer Co., 313-877-7352. Under Article XVII of the current Guild contract, the Company pays $266.66 per month toward retiree health coverage and the Guild provides a subsidy, currently $195 per month, through a wage diversion. The balance of the premium is paid by the retiree. Your Guild Committee is working to minimize the impact of these staff reductions and make sure that employees know their rights and options. Please contact us with any questions you have. We will keep you informed of further developments.
CLARIFICATION LETTER TO PAUL ANGER OF
THE DETROIT FREE PRESS SENT VIA FACSIMILE & U.S. MAIL Paul Anger Re: Oct. 19 memo The Guild needs some clarification from you regarding the announcement you sent to the Free Press staff Oct. 19 regarding planned layoffs. In that memo, you wrote: "As spelled out in the agreement, bargaining unit members in the affected classifications will have 30 days to volunteer for severance, effective today. That means the 30-day period would end at the close of business on Tuesday, Nov. 17." You also wrote, "Severance will be paid as a salary continuation, and employees will be entitled to appropriate COBRA benefits." Will employees who volunteer for severance receive the dismissal/severance pay set forth in Article XIV of the collective bargaining agreement? For volunteers who are eligible to retire, will they be eligible to receive the dismissal/severance pay and then retire at the end of the salary continuation period and receive retiree health insurance? Thanking you in advance for your prompt reply, I remain,
NEWSPAPER GUILD OF DETROIT FREE PRESS ANNOUNCES LAYOFFS In a meeting on Thursday, October 15, the Free Press informed the Newspaper Guild that it will lay off seven employees in the Guild bargaining unit. The layoffs would include one person in the classifications of artist, copy editor, editorial assistant, designer, and photographer and two persons in the reporter classification. Management did not say who it would lay off, but indicated that it would again use some exemptions to layoff by seniority. No detail was provided as to the timing of layoffs. Management said it wanted to cut $500,000 from the budget. It proposed that it would reduce the number of layoffs from seven to three, if all Guild-represented employees would take a one-week unpaid furlough between January and June, 2010. It did not say which three positions would be cut. We asked how long the four layoffs would be avoided in exchange for the unpaid furloughs. Management said that it did not know and that additional layoffs may be forthcoming if current economic conditions continue. We asked how many supervisors and managers would be laid off. The Company answered that no layoffs outside Guild's bargaining unit are planned at the present time but are they are under consideration. The Guild made a proposal to avoid all layoffs and achieve considerable cost savings. The Guild proposed:
No agreement was reached and the bargaining broke up. As we learn more about the Company's plans for layoffs, we will keep you posted. In Solidarity, your Guild Committee - Lou Mleczko, President; Jocelyn Faniel-Heard, Unit Chair; M.L. Elrick METROPOLITAN COUNCIL OF NEWSPAPER UNIONS NO AGREEMENT WITH DETROIT NEWSPAPERS ON HEALTH CARE CONCESSIONS All the newspaper unions met with Detroit Newspapers on Thursday, October 8, 2009. This included the four unions in the Metropolitan Council and the four building trades. All the unions were represented by officers and employee representatives from each bargaining unit. The Company proposed to reopen the collective bargaining agreements and make change to health insurance. The proposed changes were:
These changes would be effective January 1, 2010, even though the current collective bargaining agreements don't expire until August 2010 for the Council and May 2011 for the building trades. The Company also announced that it planned to layoff approximately 65 bargaining unit employees in the near future, affecting each of the eight unions. The Unions proposed:
The Company and the Unions could not reach agreement on these issues and the bargaining ended. As a result, there will be no changes to the current collective bargaining agreements. After the Company makes final decisions and plans regarding layoffs, there may be further discussions with the Company about layoff issues. We will keep you posted.
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