Vote is 13 - 8 by inside circulation unit of Telegram & Gazette

Guild won election for outside circulation in Worcester this March

Union is seeking an NLRB-run election for Providence outside circulation unit

In another organizing win for the Providence Newspaper Guild, an inside circulation unit at the Worcester Telegram & Gazette voted yesterday to join the union.

It's the second victory at the Worcester paper this year.

Next on the Guild's agenda is an election for a circulation division here at The Providence Journal.

Last month, a majority of 105 members of the outside circulation department at the Journal signed cards indicating that they wanted to join the union.

The National Labor Relations Board held a hearing last week in Boston on that petition.

The Guild expects the next step will be an election conducted by the NLRB.

The Worcester victory comes less than a month after the Providence Newspaper Guild announced that it was seeking an election for 23 inside circulation workers.

Management at the Massachusetts paper - now owned by the New York Times - had worked hard to keep the union out.

Officials held a number of "captive audience" briefing sessions every day for nearly two weeks, trying to dissuade workers from voting in the Guild.

Also, workers had to ignore company threats and intimidation, Guild officials reported.

But when the balloting was over, the tally was:

• 13 yes
• 8 no
• 1 blank ballot
• 1 worker as out of town and was unable to vote.

The Guild has represented the 140-member news department at the Telegram & Gazette since 1993.

Working on the latest organizing campaign were Tim Schick, the Guild's local administrator, Leo Ducharme, a national representative of The Newspaper Guild/Communications Workers of America, and Tom Thibeault of the Manchester Newspaper Guild.