The contract, which will be voted on by secret ballot on Monday, includes a 7-percent pay cut (plus another two percent next year), five days of unpaid furlough, higher health care costs and a reduction in vacation accrual. The contract also allows owner MediaNews Group to consolidate copy desk functions with the company's Bay Area News Group (BANG), which includes the Oakland Tribune and Contra Costa Times.
From the Media Workers Guild:
As you know, it is a difficult period in the newspaper industry and the country. This contract settlement represents our best efforts at protecting workers, jobs and quality at the Mercury News. It is not something that we recommend lightly...The folks at the SF Weekly aren't too impressed.
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5 comments:
bend over
Who on earth would agree to such a dramatic pay cut? People, you all deserve better. It's time to cut the cord and move on. Singleton does not care about you and never ever will.
That's exactly what the non-union people got without paying union dues.
Now I need a union to cut benefits for me---Bizarre!
Trust me the newspaper guild is weak and hasn't changed with the times as well.
A good labor lawyer on retainer would give the worker better leverage. State and federal labor laws protect the worker better than the newspaper guild does.
Job security? Protection ? living wages? or provide the lube for newspaper owners
2008 total: 15,970+ jobs
Layoffs and buyouts at U.S. newspapers in 2008
2009 total: 10,004+ jobs
Layoffs and buyouts at U.S. newspapers in 2009 ( as of 5/25/09 )
( paper cuts )
It's gonna be a banner year this year.
But the union brought us the weekend. ( thumbs up )
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