Bargaining

Mailers at the Washington Post (Local 14201) continue to press for a new contract. The previous agreement expired in May 2003 The unit has received assistance from CWA in producing a public outreach effort to alert Washington area subscribers to the Post’s union-busting tactics.

Toledo Blade locked out 215 workers represented by five unions—including Sector-represented printers—on August 20, 2006. Buoyed by support from the labor community in the area, the workers are fighting back with subscription and ad cancellations. Nevertheless, locked out workers have lost their health care benefits and exhausted unemployment compensation. CWA locals have been asked to provide financial support—especially to provide health care coverage—for all the locked out workers. Block Communications, owners of the Toledo Blade have rejected several efforts by the Toledo Council of Newspaper Unions to provide reasonable terms to end the lockout. The unions are preparing to present the workers case in a scheduled NLRB proceeding over unfair labor practices. If the Board upholds the recommendations of its agent, management will be responsible for extensive back pay.

Tonawanda Mailers, represented by Buffalo Niagara Local 14148, want Greater Niagara Newspapers (GNN), a subsidiary of Community Newspaper Holdings Inc. (CNHI) to negotiate a renewed agreement to provide basic essentials to the 40-person unit. The workers currently earn the state minimum wage ($7.15 an hour) with no benefits, health care, retirement or sick leave. Watch for a public outreach campaign to alert the greater Niagara community to the situation. Mailers Local 14170 is preparing for negotiations at the New York Times. Composing room personnel at the San Jose Mercury-News will be fighting off efforts by the publisher to outsource ad composition work to an Indian firm. Their supplemental agreement on composing room jurisdiction is set to expire at the end of June.

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