Tough Talks Finally Win Four Newspaper Pacts

Difficult and even bitter battles at the bargaining table have ultimately led to contracts for members of The Newspaper Guild-CWA and other unions in Philadelphia, Boston, San Jose and Honolulu.

"These were tough, tough fights, and the contracts aren't pretty but neither is the industry right now," TNG-CWA President Linda Foley said. "In each one of these struggles, the local Guild leadership and bargaining committee stepped up to the challenges they faced and vigorously represented their members."

In Philadelphia, Guild members at the city's two daily newspapers voted 498-49 over the weekend to approve a three-year contract with concessions on seniority, hiring pay and pensions. Members of CWA's Printing Sector, as well as another nine unions at the papers, also ratified similar contracts, said Sector Vice President Bill Boarman.

Guild members took a voice vote prior to the balloting to declare "no confidence" in management's goals and "no faith" in its labor relations policies. The fact that they accepted the contract despite their unhappiness is "a clear voice from the union that they're interested in the future of these newspapers," Local 38010 President Henry Holcomb said.

At the Boston Globe, Guild members voted 364-194 last week to accept the latest contract offer, two months after rejecting an earlier version. Since then, the Guild fought for and won an increased company contribution to the employee health insurance fund. Also, revenue from Boston.com, the newspaper's website, will be included in calculations for possible revenue-based raises in 2007 and 2008. The four-year contract can be reopened in 2009 to discuss wages.

Guild members at the Honolulu Star-Bulletin approved a four-year contract this week with pay raises retroactive to March 1, 2006 and an improved sick leave policy, ending the company's ability to withhold pay for the first day of a worker's sick time. The Guild, which accepted pay cuts five years ago in the face of massive layoffs, bargained jointly with the Graphic Communications members, who run the presses, and the Longshoremen, who recently organized the paper's mailroom.

In San Jose, members at the Mercury News approved a two-year contract that will result in fewer layoffs than management sought. It includes a $1,000 signing bonus to help offset the costs of a new health plan. Illustrating the trend of media consolidation, the contract also allows the paper to coordinate news coverage and advertising sales and share content with other MediaNews-owned papers.

Newspapers across the country have cut 34,000 jobs in the last five years and have announced thousands more cuts in the past few months. Although some papers are struggling financially, even highly profitable newspapers are slashing jobs, wages and benefits in the race for corporate profit.

Last week, Guild members nationwide demonstrated outside newspaper buildings to draw attention to the crisis and the damage to democracy itself as media companies put profit first.