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Wage, Health Issues Lead Youngstown Guild to Strike
A lopsided health care plan and a paltry wage offer led more than 170 Newspaper Guild members at The Vindicator in Youngstown, Ohio, to strike early Nov. 16, the local's first walkout since an eight-month standoff in 1964.
As the CWA News went to press, the picket lines had been up for three weeks with no new negotiations scheduled despite the union's compromise on wage issues. But the paper's stinginess appears to be backfiring in the community.
"It's been wonderful, the support we've been receiving from the labor community and from the community at large," said TNG-CWA Local 34011 President Anthony Markota. "Advertisers are pulling out and subscribers calling to cancel their subscriptions." About 25 Teamsters employed by the paper are honoring the Guild's picket line.
Markota said about half his members make less than $9 an hour and half are paid more, up to $17.83 an hour. None has had a cost-of-living raise in four years. In the latest round of negotiations, Nov. 29, the local reduced its demand from a flat increase of $60 a week for all employees, spread over two years, to increases of $54 a week for top-scale employees and $60 a week for the 11 lowest classifications, spread over three years.
The company has refused to budge from its meager offer of a 1 percent increase for top employees and even less, about 6.5 cents an hour, for the roughly 90 employees earning less than $9. Yet the family-owned newspaper is waving handfuls of money at replacement reporters from other papers around the country, offering $20 an hour, plus hotel and mileage expenses and $75 per diem.
"It's curious to me that the company is willing to pay over $1,000 a week to scab reporters but is not willing to give a living wage to the lowest classification on our wage scale," Markota told the Portland Business Journal in Oregon.
Linda Foley, national president of The Newspaper Guild-CWA, said she's "still hopeful that the Vindicator will come to its senses and make an offer to settle that recognizes the sacrifices Guild members have made over the last several years to help this paper through hard times. If not, then the Youngstown Newspaper Guild, backed up by CWA, will do whatever it takes to reach that goal."
The Youngstown Newspaper Guild contract, covering workers in the newsroom, circulation and classified advertising departments, expired at midnight Nov. 15. Markota said negotiators waited another hour for a final offer from the family-owned newspaper, but couldn't accept what was presented, leading to the walkout.
Two years ago, Guild members began paying $22.50 a week toward their health care costs, the first time they'd shared in the premium. They did so with the understanding that the company was going to spread costs among all employees, including management.
"That's how we sold it to our members," Markota said. "It turns out that not only are management and non-union employees not paying anything toward their health care, the company put them on a better plan than we have."
Markota, a circulation district manager who has been president of the local since 1986, said the vote to authorize a strike was 110-2. He said members hope for a settlement soon, but aren't backing down. "We'd like to get a contract and go back tomorrow, but if it takes longer, we're prepared," he said.
The local is publishing a weekly strike paper, the Valley Voice, with a circulation of 50,000. The paper is also available on the web at www.valleyvoiceonline.com. To support the striking workers, labor groups and others can purchase an ad in the paper. For more information, go to the website or call the Valley Voice News at (330) 744-0562.
As the CWA News went to press, the picket lines had been up for three weeks with no new negotiations scheduled despite the union's compromise on wage issues. But the paper's stinginess appears to be backfiring in the community.
"It's been wonderful, the support we've been receiving from the labor community and from the community at large," said TNG-CWA Local 34011 President Anthony Markota. "Advertisers are pulling out and subscribers calling to cancel their subscriptions." About 25 Teamsters employed by the paper are honoring the Guild's picket line.
Markota said about half his members make less than $9 an hour and half are paid more, up to $17.83 an hour. None has had a cost-of-living raise in four years. In the latest round of negotiations, Nov. 29, the local reduced its demand from a flat increase of $60 a week for all employees, spread over two years, to increases of $54 a week for top-scale employees and $60 a week for the 11 lowest classifications, spread over three years.
The company has refused to budge from its meager offer of a 1 percent increase for top employees and even less, about 6.5 cents an hour, for the roughly 90 employees earning less than $9. Yet the family-owned newspaper is waving handfuls of money at replacement reporters from other papers around the country, offering $20 an hour, plus hotel and mileage expenses and $75 per diem.
"It's curious to me that the company is willing to pay over $1,000 a week to scab reporters but is not willing to give a living wage to the lowest classification on our wage scale," Markota told the Portland Business Journal in Oregon.
Linda Foley, national president of The Newspaper Guild-CWA, said she's "still hopeful that the Vindicator will come to its senses and make an offer to settle that recognizes the sacrifices Guild members have made over the last several years to help this paper through hard times. If not, then the Youngstown Newspaper Guild, backed up by CWA, will do whatever it takes to reach that goal."
The Youngstown Newspaper Guild contract, covering workers in the newsroom, circulation and classified advertising departments, expired at midnight Nov. 15. Markota said negotiators waited another hour for a final offer from the family-owned newspaper, but couldn't accept what was presented, leading to the walkout.
Two years ago, Guild members began paying $22.50 a week toward their health care costs, the first time they'd shared in the premium. They did so with the understanding that the company was going to spread costs among all employees, including management.
"That's how we sold it to our members," Markota said. "It turns out that not only are management and non-union employees not paying anything toward their health care, the company put them on a better plan than we have."
Markota, a circulation district manager who has been president of the local since 1986, said the vote to authorize a strike was 110-2. He said members hope for a settlement soon, but aren't backing down. "We'd like to get a contract and go back tomorrow, but if it takes longer, we're prepared," he said.
The local is publishing a weekly strike paper, the Valley Voice, with a circulation of 50,000. The paper is also available on the web at www.valleyvoiceonline.com. To support the striking workers, labor groups and others can purchase an ad in the paper. For more information, go to the website or call the Valley Voice News at (330) 744-0562.