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Mailers' Washington Post Campaign Expands
CWA, the AFL-CIO and student groups are ramping up a massive campaign to boycott Kaplan Education Services, a company owned by The Washington Post, to help win a fair contract for mailers and helpers at the newspaper.
On Nov. 15, Local 14201 turned out by far the largest crowd of its18-month fight for a new contract, with more than 500 demonstrators demanding that the Post return to the bargaining table.
The rally took place at noon in front of the Post's downtown Washington headquarters. A rock band that could be heard for blocks caught the attention of passers-by, drivers honked car horns in a display of solidarity and speaker after speaker vilified the Post's overpaid top management. In 2003, the paper's four top-paid executives collectively 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 work for equal pay."
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 and 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 on 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 boycott of 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. The same day, Mailers Local 14170 t leafleted Kaplan in New York City, Local 14430 in downtown Chicago and Local 14842 in Pittsburgh.
The Post has not met with the mailers since June and has not budged substantially 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 are planning further escalation of the Kaplan campaign.
On Nov. 15, Local 14201 turned out by far the largest crowd of its18-month fight for a new contract, with more than 500 demonstrators demanding that the Post return to the bargaining table.
The rally took place at noon in front of the Post's downtown Washington headquarters. A rock band that could be heard for blocks caught the attention of passers-by, drivers honked car horns in a display of solidarity and speaker after speaker vilified the Post's overpaid top management. In 2003, the paper's four top-paid executives collectively 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 work for equal pay."
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 and 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 on 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 boycott of 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. The same day, Mailers Local 14170 t leafleted Kaplan in New York City, Local 14430 in downtown Chicago and Local 14842 in Pittsburgh.
The Post has not met with the mailers since June and has not budged substantially 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 are planning further escalation of the Kaplan campaign.