Guild, News Reach Agreement
on Grievance Resolutions

by Dan Herbeck

Guild leaders were optimistic after an April 3 meeting with Publisher and President Stanford Lipsey and other top managers on grievance issues.

Others representing the company during the long-sought meeting in Lipsey's office were Warren Colville, News executive vice president; Joseph F. Saeli Jr., general counsel and human resources director; and Dominick Bordonaro, assistant circulation director. The Guild was represented by Guild President Tina Destro, Vice President Phil Fairbanks, Grievance Committee Chairperson Patrick Gormley and Richard Fay Jr., vice chairman for circulation district managers.

"It was a very productive meeting, and I think we made progress on several pending issues, " Destro said. "We have re-established a relationship of open negotiation and discussion that the Guild had always had with The News. We're encouraged to see The News take a reasonable position on these matters.''

The Guild submitted 12 grievances for binding arbitration, six of which would have also been filed as Unfair Labor Practice Charges with the National Labor Relations Board.

The Guild and The News have reached settlements on eight of those grievances. Both parties continue discussion on the remaining four in hopes of reaching resolution without legal action.

Grievances that remain on the table include:

1) Termination Of an Inside Circulation Employee - Guild member was fired in November 1997. The Guild maintains that the termination was without just and sufficient cause. This case is scheduled for arbitration in May.

2) Unilateral Change In Zone Clerk Working Conditions - Circulation division lead clerk, working in north suburbs, was transferred downtown in January. This unilateral change constitutes an Unfair Labor Practice, particularly in light of a 1996 grievance settlement governing the transfer of Circulation Group B Clerks. The News has now agreed to work with the Guild in developing a more detailed procedure for the transfer of Group B Circulation Clerks and the subsequent effects of the transfer on other employees

4) Creation of a Second Assistant Single Copy Manager - The News created a second management position where the contract only dictates one exclusion. This action also violates previous grievance settlements on singular management exclusions. The News says they will change the title for this position so that it complies with the contract. The company has not yet made the change.

5) Wage Freeze For 3 District Managers - The News imposed a wage freeze on three district managers who formerly worked in non-Guild jobs. Two of the them returned to the Guild in 1995, the other in 1994. The News illegally deducted retroactive pay they had received without their consent. The News and the Guild are currently working on a resolution that could bring this issue to a close.

6) Improper Application of $6 Differential - The News prorated hourly a $6 per shift differential, violating the contract. The News has tentatively agreed that the $6 should not be prorated but applied per shift. The Guild awaits final written confirmation from The News.

"We must be ever vigilant in matters of contract administration," Destro said. "Not only do we bargain when our contract expires, but we must bargain every day to maintain the contract’s integrity and the rights of our members."