Providence Newspaper Guild - Guild Leader June 2, 2000

GUILD LEADER

Vol XI, No. 49

TNG/CWA Local 31041

June 2, 2000

WEEK-LONG BYLINE STRIKE STARTS JUNE 5

The Guild is calling for a week-long byline strike, beginning with the newspaper to be published Monday, June 5, and running through the Sunday Journal of June 11.

The demonstration is one of several actions the Guild is taking in response to the failure of the company to make constructive moves toward reaching agreement for a new contract.

The byline strike will be followed in later weeks by demonstrations and rallies, and efforts to increase economic and public relations pressure on the company.

Previously, the Guild has had byline strikes lasting two days.
The purpose of the slightly longer action this time is to emphasize the increasing seriousness of the negotiations, and of the Guild's desire to move the two sides to a contract agreement as soon as possible.
The executive board has outlined general guidelines:

· Symbolism is important: the greater the participation, the more effective the message to the company and the public.
· It's up to each writer, photographer and artist to request that bylines and credit lines be withheld each time they submit their work for publication.
· The union is not requesting that bylines be withheld from personal columns, critical reviews or analytical pieces.

The Guild has been negotiating with the company for a new contract since last October.

The company has made no effort to close the gap between its and the union's positions since the proposal of Jan. 24, which was turned down by the Guild membership in a 354 to 28 secret ballot vote.

Most recently, the two sides met May 3, at which time the Guild attempted to significantly narrow the differences: cutting its wage offer, adopting more of the company's medical insurance program and moving toward resolution of the disagreement about pensions.

The Company has refused to schedule additional bargaining sessions. Instead, the company mailed the Guild a terse letter rejecting the Guild proposal.

In addition, the Journal sent Guild members a letter signed by a ranking executive issues last week, in which the company dismissed the union's wage cut and decried the union's suggestion of a signing bonus, without acknowledging the union's offer to scrap a grievance that could be expensive for the company, or the Guild's other concessions.

The company said it is standing by its Jan. 24 proposal, and threatening to worsen it.

The Guild believes the Journal's intransigence is an effort to make the contract dispute an issue in the efforts by employees in the outside circulation department to join the Guild. Ballots in that NLRB-supervised election are scheduled to be counted June 27.

The byline action is designed to show the company - and the public - the union's resolve to win a fair contract through frank and constructive collective bargaining.