Two-year Guild contract secured after 10 months of negotiations
Tuesday, May 30, 2017 by The Guild
On Thursday, April 20, Guild members voted overwhelmingly to ratify a two-year contract with The Buffalo News, concluding one of the longer and more unorthodox periods of bargaining in recent Guild history.
During 10 months of negotiations, the bargaining team took a methodical and systematic approach against a series of harsh proposals from The News. Most notably, they poured hundreds of hours into a series of attempts to save the Classified Advertising department that ultimately came up short.
However, in an industry and company experiencing worrying declines in print advertising revenue, the team secured the continuation of affordable health insurance for members as well as our first raise in more than seven years. The first phase of that raise began appearing in members’ paychecks in late April, and the second will take effect Aug. 1. continue»
Tuesday, May 30, 2017 by The Guild
The Buffalo Newspaper Guild will host the NewsGuild-CWA’s 2017 Multi-District Council on June 24 to 25 in the Millennium Hotel in Cheektowaga.
The meeting, said NewsGuild Executive Vice President Marian Needham, will serve as an important precursor to the CWA Convention and Guild Sector Conference to be held in Pittsburgh in August.
The meeting will feature a Saturday workshop to familiarize members with a CWA-wide project that will help officers and organizers reach out to current and prospective union members.
“The Guild’s Special Assignment Organizers will conduct a skills-building workshop to help local leaders increase the effectiveness of their outreach to members and non-members alike, to help build our numbers and increase the strength of our union,” Needham said.
Thursday, April 20, 2017 by The Guild
Guild member Melinda Miller casts her ballot as Jay Rey and Matt Gryta staff the ballot box.
Members of the Buffalo Newspaper Guild approved a new two-year contract on Thursday by a vote of 104-16.
The bargaining team, which unanimously endorsed the agreement, was pleased by the excellent turnout. Henry Davis, member of the bargaining team and former Guild president, thanked everyone for the support throughout the process.
“It was a long and difficult negotiation, and I’m gratified that so many of our members ultimately showed their support for the tentative agreement,” said Guild President Sandra Tan.
The two-year contract includes an effective 2.5 percent raise for full- and part-time bargaining unit employees for the first time in seven years. Under the deal, members will pay 9 percent of the Guild base 20/20 health insurance plan in 2018.
“I want to echo my thanks to all the members of the bargaining team, all of the volunteers who staffed the ballot box and all the Guild members who did their part to bring negotiations to a satisfactory end,” Tan said.
Thursday, April 13, 2017 by The Guild
The Guild has scheduled a ratification vote on the proposed contract with the News for Thursday, April 20. Members may vote between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. in the News fifth-floor cafeteria. Guild representatives will also be on hand from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. at the zone offices in Depew, Buffalo, Hamburg and Tonawanda.
The tentative agreement, unanimously endorsed by the Guild’s bargaining team, includes an effective 2.5 percent raise for full- and part-time bargaining unit employees for the first time in seven years. It also includes exit packages for members of the Classified Department that doubles what the News originally offered. Under the deal, members will pay 9 percent of the Guild base 20/20 health insurance plan in 2018.
More details on the agreement are in a flier distributed in print and via email last week to members and posted on Guild bulletin boards.
Given the declining economic state of The News, Guild leadership strongly believes that this contract represents the best deal possible under difficult circumstances and urges members to vote for it. Please make an effort to cast your vote on Thursday, no matter your position, and thank you for all you do on behalf of the Guild.
