Providence Newspaper Guild - Guild Leader September 5, 2001

GUILD LEADER

Vol XIl, Issue 41

TNG/CWA Local 31041

Sept. 5, 2001

WEEK-LONG BYLINE STRIKE STARTS SEPT. 10

The Guild is calling for a week-long byline strike, beginning with the newspaper to be published Monday, September 10, and running through the Sunday Journal of September 16.

RALLY
Saturday, Oct. 20,
11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Front of Journal Building
75 Fountain St.,
Providence, RI

The demonstration is one of several actions the Guild is taking to protest to Journal's illegal conduct during contract bargaining and the company's failure to make constructive moves toward reaching agreement for a new contract.

Guild members who perform work that does not normally get their names printed in the paper will be given the opportunity to wear blank name tags, to show support for the byline strikers.

It has been over a year since the Guild last engaged in a week-long byline strike. However, some reporters and photographers have been withholding their bylines and credit lines on their own.

The purpose of the action 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 attempting to negotiate a new contract since October 1999.

The company has made no effort to close the gap between its and the union's positions since the proposal of Jan. 24, 2000 which was turned down by the Guild membership in a 354 to 28 secret ballot vote.

The two sides last met February 14. Since these the company has refused to negotiate over the contract.

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.