Newspaper Guild of Rochester Approves New Contract with Gannett
16 Years without a contract. Can you imagine the editorial you would see from Jim Lawrence and company if some organization went that long without a contract? “How can they do this to their employees?” “Don’t they realize they wouldn’t have a successful operation without the hard work of the men and women who faithfully show up for work each day?” I would expect comments like this from the editorial board.
Well, there is one organization that actually has gone 16 years without a contract — Gannett Newspapers — the owners of the Democrat and Chronicle. Let’s see if Jim has the courage to speakout on this great injustice.
We received this press release and present it unedited for your information.
After nearly 16 years of difficult and sometimes stalled negotiations, the union that represents approximately 90 reporters, photographers, copy editors, multi-media journalists and artists at the Democrat and Chronicle reached a new labor agreement with the newspaper’s parent company, Gannett Co. Inc.
Union-represented employees voted to accept the two-year contract July 15, ensuring a strong voice in the workplace, and job protections and benefits that are guaranteed and enforceable under law.
“Given the turmoil and challenges in the newspaper industry today, this is no small feat,” said Steve Orr, president of Local 17, Newspaper Guild of Rochester. “We have workplace rules that cannot be changed on a whim. We have the ability to question unfair decisions without fear of retribution, which is more than many other newspaper employees across the country can say. It took a long time to get to this point, and we are extremely grateful for the support we’ve received from inside and outside the newsroom.”
In late June Gannett officials offered to end an 18-month bargaining hiatus and resume talks with the Newspaper Guild of Rochester. The largest newspaper company in the country had just announced that it would freeze its pension plan but enhance the 401(k) for its 46,000 employees. Labor law required Gannett to seek union approval of the pension cut. The Rochester Guild took that opportunity to gain resolution of
other outstanding matters pertaining strictly to the Democrat and Chronicle workforce.“It would be misleading to say the union achieved all its goals. We accepted language on layoffs and discipline, for example, that falls well short of our initial proposal,” Orr said. “Over the long course of the negotiations, the company insisted on give-backs on overtime, sick leave, maternity leave and in many other
areas.“But our final agreement includes a number of gains as well. And it provides our union-represented employees access to the company 401(k) - something Gannett had denied them, in an attempt to bust the union, since creating the retirement plan more than 20 years ago.”
In addition to Orr, members of the Rochester Guild bargaining committee included reporters Gary Craig and Matt Daneman, and designer Sarah Crupi.
Over the years, many other Guild members volunteered countless hours at the bargaining table and on picket lines, and worked in other ways to keep the workforce energized.
“The depth of this support is what enabled us to get through the long slog,” said Craig, the local’s secretary. “We wouldn’t have reached this milestone without the backing of many community leaders.”
Among them are Rochester & Genesee Valley Area Labor Federation president Jim Bertolone; federation executive vice president Bruce Popper; vice president Dave Young; and state Assemblywoman Susan John, chair of the Labor Committee. Marian Needham, a Buffalo-based sector representative for the Guild, gave the local a great deal of guidance as well.
During the 16-year period without a new contract, the company honored most of the terms of the old agreement, and Guild members continued to receive raises and benefits. The long duration is attributable in good part to the fact that Gannett’s bargaining team would only meet for short sessions once every few months. In some years, the parties negotiated the equivalent of only one or two work days.
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