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Mailers Campaign at Washington Post Expands
CWA, the AFL-CIO and student groups are ramping up a massive campaign at Kaplan Education Services to help win a fair contract for mailers and helpers at The Washington Post. On Nov. 15, Local 14201 turned out by far the largest crowd of their 18-month campaign for a new contract to demand that the Post return to the bargaining table.
More than 500 mailers and supporters turned out for a rally outside the Post's downtown D.C. headquarters.
A rock band that could be heard for blocks caught the attention of passers-by, cars honked their horns in a display of solidarity and speaker after speaker vilified the Post's overpaid top management. In 2003, the Post's four top paid executives together pocketed $4,104,818, $1 million more than the entire mailers payroll. Of 400 members of the bargaining unit, 182 mostly African American utility mailers, who do the same work as journeyman mailers, are paid about half the journeyman rate on a separate pay scale.
"I couldn't be more proud of the men and women of Local 14201 for standing up to this huge conglomerate," said Bill Boarman, CWA vice president for the Printing Sector. "The Post wants them to work longer for less. They don't want to give them any pay increase. And they don't want to give them equal pay for equal work."
The Post also wants the mailers to give up money they've contributed to their defined benefit pension. "The Post would pocket the money and put them into the Post's over funded pension plan - just to break the union," Boarman said.
Metropolitan Washington Central Labor Council President Joslyn Williams encouraged the Mailers, CWAers and other supporters who turned out from the IBEW, UFCW, Steelworkers, Teamsters, Seafarers and other unions.
"You are the message, you are the messengers," Williams said. "If we can take The Washington Post, we can send a message across this land."
"Hundreds of students across the country are in solidarity with you," said Mike Wilson of United Students Against Sweatshops.
USAS and the Mailers are escalating their actions at Kaplan Education Services, owned by the Post. A busload of students and Local 14201 members came to the rally directly from an earlier demonstration and leafleting at Kaplan's Washington, D.C., facility. Mailers Local 14170 that same day leafleted Kaplan in Manhattan and the Bronx, N.Y., Local 14430 leafleted in downtown Chicago, and Local 14842 leafleted in Pittsburgh.
The Post has not met with the Mailers since June and has not budged much from its initial proposal, said Hunter Phillips, administrative assistant to Boarman.
"When the Mailers leafleted in New York, I heard that one Kaplan representative came out and said, 'I've heard you're doing this all over the country."
That rumor is true. The Printing Sector, The Newspaper Guild-CWA which represents editorial staff at the Post, Jobs with Justice and USAS representatives will meet later this month to plan escalation of the Kaplan campaign
More than 500 mailers and supporters turned out for a rally outside the Post's downtown D.C. headquarters.
A rock band that could be heard for blocks caught the attention of passers-by, cars honked their horns in a display of solidarity and speaker after speaker vilified the Post's overpaid top management. In 2003, the Post's four top paid executives together pocketed $4,104,818, $1 million more than the entire mailers payroll. Of 400 members of the bargaining unit, 182 mostly African American utility mailers, who do the same work as journeyman mailers, are paid about half the journeyman rate on a separate pay scale.
"I couldn't be more proud of the men and women of Local 14201 for standing up to this huge conglomerate," said Bill Boarman, CWA vice president for the Printing Sector. "The Post wants them to work longer for less. They don't want to give them any pay increase. And they don't want to give them equal pay for equal work."
The Post also wants the mailers to give up money they've contributed to their defined benefit pension. "The Post would pocket the money and put them into the Post's over funded pension plan - just to break the union," Boarman said.
Metropolitan Washington Central Labor Council President Joslyn Williams encouraged the Mailers, CWAers and other supporters who turned out from the IBEW, UFCW, Steelworkers, Teamsters, Seafarers and other unions.
"You are the message, you are the messengers," Williams said. "If we can take The Washington Post, we can send a message across this land."
"Hundreds of students across the country are in solidarity with you," said Mike Wilson of United Students Against Sweatshops.
USAS and the Mailers are escalating their actions at Kaplan Education Services, owned by the Post. A busload of students and Local 14201 members came to the rally directly from an earlier demonstration and leafleting at Kaplan's Washington, D.C., facility. Mailers Local 14170 that same day leafleted Kaplan in Manhattan and the Bronx, N.Y., Local 14430 leafleted in downtown Chicago, and Local 14842 leafleted in Pittsburgh.
The Post has not met with the Mailers since June and has not budged much from its initial proposal, said Hunter Phillips, administrative assistant to Boarman.
"When the Mailers leafleted in New York, I heard that one Kaplan representative came out and said, 'I've heard you're doing this all over the country."
That rumor is true. The Printing Sector, The Newspaper Guild-CWA which represents editorial staff at the Post, Jobs with Justice and USAS representatives will meet later this month to plan escalation of the Kaplan campaign