Guild Rallies for Fair Contract at Post

Monday, July 29, 2013

Guild Rallies for Fair Contract at Post(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)

A spirited group of Newspaper Guild members at The Washington Post spent their lunch hour last Thursday marching in front of the Post building, carrying balloons and hand-lettered signs demanding that management bargain fairly with the union. The rally came one day before expiration of the Guild’s current contract, covering nearly 900 employees at the Post. The union has offered to extend the contract for two more years, with all terms remaining the same except for pay. The union is seeking a 3.5% wage increase; the Post is offering only a one-time lump sum payment. Management refused to extend the contract, “because the publisher thinks it’s still too difficult to reduce staff,” according to the Guild bargaining committee’s July 18 report. “Ponder that as you count the empty desks around you or thumb through the thinning pages of your newspaper.”  Job security and pay are key issues, as well as ensuring that the company has in place and follows fair disciplinary procedures. “Too many friends have departed or had their careers trashed by unfair performance evaluations to settle for anything less than a fair contract,” the bargaining committee said. “Today, they have heard you upstairs!” committee member Tim Smith (at left in photo) said as the hour-long rally wrapped up. “It’s a long, hard road, but we will win,” he pledged. - report/photos by Janelle Hartman, Newspaper Guild 32035

 

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