Philadelphia Will Do

December 19, 2006

Deal Approved; Management Returns To Private Islands

Last night, the Newspaper Guild ratified its new agreement, 498-69, ensuring no work stoppages 'til late 2009. Although the agreement passed, the Guild decided to also issue a vote of "No confidence" on management's commitment to producing quality newspapers.

From Steve Volk's The Daily Strike blog:

That motion “instructs the Local 10 Executive Board to discuss - and pass -- a resolution saying the following:

“1- Because of their tight-fisted, slash-and-burn, anti-labor tactics, we have NO CONFIDENCE in the new owners’ actual desire to publish great newspapers

“2- Because of the new owners’ recent record of poor business decisions, which includes hiring executives while promising layoffs of union workers, we have NO FAITH in their desire to treat employees with fairness and dignity

“3- Because of the yawning chasm between what the new owners promised and what they now are delivering, we have NO STOMACH to hear any more of their cheerful prattle.

“For the new owners we have
“No Confidence,
“No Faith,
“No Stomach.”

An amendment, which was accepted, asked that the new owners be mentioned by name.

Afterward, the union workers returned to the offices with a ralling cry of, "Okay, now let's go put out a crappy product for owners we hate!"

No Confidence, No Faith, No Stomach [The Daily Strike]
Archives: Guild Accidentally Sends Out Parody Memo, Stops Short Of Saying Tierney Is Sending Them Into Mines Sans Canaries

Posted by D-Mac at 10:15 AM | TrackBack (0)

December 18, 2006

Update: Contract Vote Tonight

Just in case you are still thinking about all of this, the Newspaper Guild will vote on the contract with management tonight.

Despite telling their employees that management will be eating buckets of puppies with the profits from the new deal, Guild leadership has also encouraged a "yes" vote.

It's good that there's no strike -- who would I make fun of? -- but it also seems like some sort of unfulfilled promise; all these weeks and weeks of nasty memos back and forth and then... nothing. But who roots for people to lose their jobs (or walk off them)? I guess this shitty ending will have to do.

And, finally, by tonight everything will be over and we all never, ever, ever have to think about pension plans or seniority again. The Guild will, though, since the deal's only three years.

The Daily Strike [PW]
Archives: Newspaper Guild
Archives: Newspaper Strike

Posted by D-Mac at 10:41 AM | TrackBack (0)

December 13, 2006

Reason #19 To Love Philadelphia: We Don't Have To Hear About Newspaper Contract Negotiations Anymore!

Last night, the Newspaper Guild reached a tentative agreement with management.

It's a three-year deal -- hey, just like Adam Eaton! -- without much in the way of pay increases. (It doesn't even look like there are any cost of living adjustments.) The company looks like it got pretty much what it wanted in turning the pension plan into a 401(k).

But, hey, Will Bunch was so excited he used eight exclamation points. So maybe it's a good deal after all.

More Details on Deal... [Daily Strike]
UPDATED: Deal or no deal? DEAL!!!!!!!! [Attytood]

Posted by D-Mac at 09:10 AM | TrackBack (0)

December 11, 2006

Byko Sends New Memo; Negotiations To Start In 5

Okay, back to strike talk! Or, rather, lack of strike talk.

In today's Inquirer, Joseph DiStefano writes about Brian Tierney's "surpris to the Guild's reaction to the pension plan shift. (Management wants to freeze the pension fund and switch to a 401(k). The Guild is opposed to it.)

There's a new memo after the jump in response to that, but the real fun is over at Steve Volk's The Daily Strike, which will still be covering the negotiations, set to begin today at 10 a.m. Head over there for coverage and the like.

Continue reading "Byko Sends New Memo; Negotiations To Start In 5"

Posted by D-Mac at 09:55 AM | TrackBack (0)

December 08, 2006

Guild Delays Strike Yet Again; Philadelphians To Get Sunday 'Hagar The Horrible' Fix (Phew!)

Last night, the Guild sent out yet another memo to the workers, saying, well... no strike. For now. Wait, I thought we did this last week?

HANG IN THERE

Federal Mediator Walter Bednarczyk said today that he would call back the Guild and the Company to face-to-face bargaining Monday to discuss pension issues.

He strongly suggested that neither party take any action at this time.

The Company wants to freeze the pension fund and take full control of our fund away from the joint board of trustees.

The union plans to work with its experts through the weekend to come up with a counter proposal.

(Translation: No work stoppage)

Same old, same old! Come back here next week for virtually the same post.

Posted by D-Mac at 10:07 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

December 07, 2006

Tierney Sends New Memo, Punctuation And Grammar Much Improved. I'll Give It A B/B-.

Brian Tierney, who we last saw channeling Hemingway in a letter to State Rep. Mark B. Cohen, has sent out a new memo to the guild, urging for calm, peace, no strike and unity! (It remains to be seen if his definition of being a uniter, not a divider, is the same one as G.W. Bush.)

An excerpt:

What we are proposing is in line with most other companies, both in the media business and other businesses. Ask your friends and neighbors what their companies are doing. [...]

Will this proposal cost everyone a little more? Perhaps. But it is critically important for everyone to understand how difficult the newspaper business has become. You can look all over the country for examples. We simply can no longer afford the very generous pay and benefits of a bygone era, when newspapers dominated the media. We would much prefer for everyone to share a little bit in the pain, so that we can spare perhaps dozens of our colleagues from losing their jobs altogether.

If you're as confused as I am, here's the deal: Tierney is talking about the pension fund, and what management... wants... agh! I can't do it! I can't write about pension funds! And I like financial news and numbers and I could, at one time, do integrate and derive and even do a little vector calculus. (That didn't stop me from getting a C in Calc II, but, hey, you take what you can get.)

Anyway, Steve Volk has much more of a stomach for this than I do, and he's continuing to blog over at The Daily Strike.

Update: Byko and the Guild respond!

Skipping over the self-serving blather, Brian Tierney writes (on Page 2) that "we are all in this together" -- except when it comes to directing the investments of our pension fund.
That’s when it becomes "me," not "we."

We have a problem with that for one simple reason: It’s OUR money, put there for US by Knight-Ridder. It is not Brian's money to invest. The fund is both safe and healthy.

Blah blah blah etc. You know the deal with these things. The rest of the Tierney memo is still after the jump.

Continue reading "Tierney Sends New Memo, Punctuation And Grammar Much Improved. I'll Give It A B/B-."

Posted by D-Mac at 04:25 PM | TrackBack (0)

December 06, 2006

Breaking: Strike?!

You have got to be kidding me. Or, well, not really, but... yeah. Looked like it was all settled, but all of a sudden...

"I am distressed to learn that on this point the company is stuck on stupid," says Stu Bykofky.

The sticking point is the pension fund, and... ugh, back to the Guild:

The Guild negotiating team told the Company it would go into a multi-employer pension fund, but it would not relinquish its place in the decision making process.
Under the Guild plan, the pension trustees – composed of an equal number of representatives from the Company and the union – would seek a suitable multi-employer pension fund to merge into. If the sides could not agree on a fund, they would go into arbitration.

It is essential for both sides to be involved, to keep the process moving quickly and to protect OUR RETIREMENT SAVINGS.

“This is a damn sad situation,” said Guild President Henry J. Holcomb. “The Company’s position threatens to undo all of the good work we have done and put us on strike.”

Because this is the most serious of our strike issues, members should please take home their personal items from work and await instructions on other actions.

More on this tomorrow. And, of course, Fox 29 just reported a deal was near. And, also, lots and lots more info from Steve Volk over at The Daily Strike.

Update: Oh, yeah, and the Phillies got Freddy Garcia for Gavin Floyd and Gio Gonzalez.

Posted by D-Mac at 10:22 PM | TrackBack (0)

December 04, 2006

Citizen Tierney, Internet Mayor Clash

As you may have heard already, the Newspaper Guild and management have reached a tentative agreement on non-economic issues, and won't be striking anytime soon. (Cue long exhales from Byko et al.)

The two sides still have yet to reach an agreement on pensions, but it appears there won't be a strike. (The photos of myself will return to the newsroom.) Steve Volk is still blogging at The Daily Strike, in case you want to catch up.

But just when you thought that the denouement could somehow be more boring than actual negotiations, who steps in but the Mayor of the Internet, State Rep. Mark B. Cohen!

Cohen sent a letter to management supporting the Newspaper Guild. Dissection of the memo -- and Brian Tierney's incredible sentence -- after the jump.

Continue reading "Citizen Tierney, Internet Mayor Clash"

Posted by D-Mac at 12:40 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

December 01, 2006

Leftovers: Breakin' Up The Strike

• Brian Tierney has criticised the Newspaper Guild for threatening to strike, etc., etc. And, la de dah, they will be publishing in the advent of a strike. Time to find some old-fashioned strikebreakers! [E&P]

• What, Editor & Publisher's Joe Strupp isn't enough strikey goodness for you? Fine, here are some more thoughts. [Citizen Mom]

• In addition to free booze, Pennsylvanians are now required to put their headlights on when using their windshield wipers. You're still not allowed to stock up on free drinks at the casinos and go driving, even if you used your ~~headlines~~ headlights and windshield wipers. [AP/NBC 10]

Posted by D-Mac at 04:16 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

Yes, But Will Organized Labor Still Change Forever?

The Evening Bulletin ran an editorial -- I assume -- today about the newspaper strike. Here it is, in full:

Social change is not linear. Although we like to think of history as a gradual progression, real change happens in dramatic shifts, or "tipping points". The pending strike by editorial employees at the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News marks one of these momentous changes. As we go to press, the editorial employees at the Inquirer are preparing to strike. The unions representing the majority of employees, who actually print and deliver the newspapers, had reached tentative agreements with management and stated "We think a strike is really going to hurt us. We're going to go to work," even going so far as to say they would cross picket lines. Say it any way you want, the history of organized labor in the newspaper business just changed.

Strikes are an imperfect mechanism for resolving labor disputes. But then, unions themselves have been in the process of engineering their own demise for decades. Having devolved from their original role of protecting the collective well-being of their members, they now most closely resemble the classic communist state on the edge of collapse. Inherent inefficiencies have made this end inevitable from the beginning. One way or another, a rational model for the industry will emerge.

Yep, say it any way you want, the history of organized labor in the newspaper business just changed. Except that, well, it didn't. Looks like Soviet Russia's still alive and well!

Newspaper Industry Will Change Forever [The Evening Bulletin via promohthree]

Posted by D-Mac at 01:51 PM | TrackBack (0)

Workers Edge Closer To Strike?

The latest memo from the Newspaper Guild makes it appear that the workers are headed for a strike. Or maybe the current bargaining situation is currently all rainbows and gumdrops.

The Communications Workers Of America -- the parent union of the Newspaper Guild -- board has authorized a strike. (No surprise there.) But here's the weird line:

Our local membership at a meeting attended by over half of our members voted - with only four negative votes - late last month to request the CWA board's approval for a strike.

Wait, only half the members showed up? Really? Wow.

You can also find more stuff on Steve Volk's Daily Strike blog. Full memo after the jump.

Continue reading "Workers Edge Closer To Strike?"

Posted by D-Mac at 01:04 PM | TrackBack (0)

Guild Weathers Power Outage, Meeting With Mgmt. Now

A snippet from the latest Newspaper Guild memo, sent this morning at quarter-to-nine:

Sorry we couldn’t communicate with you earlier today. A power outage crashed the Guild’s computer server.

In another development last night, Guild President Henry J. Holcomb addressed AFSCME District Council 47. At the end of his remarks, the council voted unanimously to strongly support the Guild in its bargaining and, if necessary, in a strike.

Thomas Paine Cronin, president of the government employees union council, also spoke for the Guild, saying that his group would not stand by and let the new owners of our newspapers hire scab workers.

Blah blah blah. The meeting was scheduled to begin at noon, so presumably they're meeting now and discussing whether Tierney can fire the old people at the paper. (Management says yes, the union says no!) Full memo after the jump.

Continue reading "Guild Weathers Power Outage, Meeting With Mgmt. Now"

Posted by D-Mac at 12:12 PM | TrackBack (0)

Papers Not On Strike... Yet?

As you probably know by now, the Inquirer and Daily News are not on strike. Both sides talked throughout the night and the Guild decided not to walk at midnight, letting us have at least one more Big Fat Friday! Hooray!

Of course, the rumors at 400 N. Broad are swinging from "never going back to work again" to "very brief strike," so a strike still seems likely at the moment. Management is still offering plans for pension, seniority and combining functions of both papers that the union is unlikely to accept. There's also been talks about a brief, 2-3 year contract, which means they could all be doing this again in just a short time! Hooray again!

As usual, memos and other random bullshit to follow all day. Any updates you can find here (hooray!) or on Steve Volk's Daily Strike blog (also hooray!).

No Strike Tonight [Daily Strike]

Posted by D-Mac at 10:39 AM | TrackBack (0)

November 30, 2006

Strike? No Strike? Tune In Later Tonight!

So... is there going to be a strike tonight or not? Hell, I don't know. All signs pointed to yes this morning, then later in the day the tide seemed to turn the other day, and now it seems like there's going to be a strike again. So why guess? We'll all know in a few hours anyway.

I may have some things up late tonight if there is a strike, but if you're that much of a mediaholic that you really must know immediately, then PW's own Steve Volk will be covering it on (what else) a blog. He will be updating non-stop, I'm sure, so you can head over there for more strike coverage. I'll also continue to keep posting Guild memos, funny management emails and the like.

The blog is called The Daily Strike, etc. etc. The latest Guild memo is after the jump.

Continue reading "Strike? No Strike? Tune In Later Tonight!"

Posted by D-Mac at 04:12 PM | TrackBack (0)

Papers' Other Unions Extend Talks, To Cross Picket Lines?

Nine of the 10 unions that represent workers at Philadelphia Media Holdings -- the parent company of the Inquirer and Daily News -- have extended talks again, moving the expiration date of contracts back to Saturday, Dec. 9. The Newspaper Guild is right now still planning to walk at midnight.

But here's the real news, from the Associated Press:

"We think a strike is really going to hurt us," said Joe Lyons, president of the Philadelphia Council of Newspaper Unions, which represents nine of 10 unions at The Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News. "Whatever direction they're going, we totally disagree with that."

Asked if that means the unions, including the drivers, would cross picket lines, Lyons said: "If we have to, we will."

Are you ready for a scab Daily News and Inquirer? Either way, it looks like you're going to get it.

9 unions at Philly papers extend talks, prepare to cross lines [AP/Philly.com]

Posted by D-Mac at 01:20 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

Exclusive: Last Night's Newspaper Guild Meeting

Yeah, it was closed to anyone but Guild members, but I worked my magic to get some footage from last night's Newspaper Guild meeting:

Okay, maybe not. But this was last night's 6 p.m. Simpsons episode, and I have only this to say: Best. Coincidence. Ever.

Posted by D-Mac at 12:50 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

November 29, 2006

Mgmt. Finally Responds To Byko Memo Machine

Yes, it took forever, but Brian Tierney & Co. -- or, more likely, a different PR person -- drafted a memo to respond to the constant barrage of memos sent from the Newspaper Guild in the past weeks.

Although it contains language that is the textual equivalent of Ambien -- for example, "we will consider a lump sum payment that will help offset a portion of the diversions members will need to divert in order to fund an ongoing pension" -- it's also an old fashioned passive-aggressive shot at the union asking them not to strike.

We think a strike would be a mistake, as it would cause long-term damage to our company that would hurt all of our employees, including Guild members.... We are optimistic that we can continue to work with the Guild to resolve all of these issues in the next few of days. Hopefully, the Guild leadership will put a higher priority on resolving the issues than on a strike threat.

Oh snap! Full (pretty boring, though) memo after the jump.

Continue reading "Mgmt. Finally Responds To Byko Memo Machine"

Posted by D-Mac at 05:49 PM | TrackBack (0)

Leftovers: McNabb To Return In Next [x] Months

• Donovan McNabb underwent surgery for his torn ACL yesterday, and here's the Associated Press' lead: "Donovan McNabb could miss as much as a year or could be ready for the 2007 season opener after having surgery yesterday to repair a torn knee ligament." Or, perhaps, he could die from complications, or return tomorrow and lead the Eagles to the Super Bowl. [AP/Toronto Star]

• And another awesome AP lead, from Bethlehem, Pa.: "A man serving life without parole for stabbing his neighbor more than 80 times with a samurai sword and setting the victim's clothes on fire was awarded $1 by a federal jury that ruled five of the officers arresting him used excessive force." [AP/Philly.com]

• Good news: There are lots of flu vaccines this year. Bad news: There are so many, there will probably be a shortage next year. Aye. [Bucks County Courier Times]

• And the Philly Future comment of the century: "Oh... the 'papers' are going on strike? Thank God for the Evening Bulletin!" [Philly Future]

Posted by D-Mac at 05:00 PM | TrackBack (0)

Paper Execs Attempt To Get Every Last Penny Out Of Staff

Actual memo sent out at our newspaperly neighbors to the north:

From: [redacted]
Sent: Wed 11/29/2006 2:50 PM
To: PNI Weekly Update - All
Subject: BISTRO MUGS

Posted by D-Mac at 04:33 PM | TrackBack (0)

Union Readies Site Shockingly Not Hosted On Blogger

When I heard that the Daily News and Inquirer were readying their own website in case of a strike, I immediately went out and registered inquireranddailynews.blogspot.com in anticipation of being able to sell it back to the Newspaper Guild for a buck or two.

Shockingly, though, the Guild went out and purchased their own domain and got some free newspaper software and set up PhilaPapers.com. According to a release from the Guild -- Byko is churning them out like a machine! -- some content will immediately be posted online, with news to follow throughout the duration of the strike. Tom Ferrick is coordinating this whole shebang. (There's precedent for this sort of thing. Salon.com was founded due in part to a San Francisco Examiner strike in 1995.)

Once again, midnight Thursday is the deadline. Let's hope they can get this settled. Although, either way, it appears we're going to get our weekly Faye Flam fix.

Full guild release after the jump.

Continue reading "Union Readies Site Shockingly Not Hosted On Blogger"

Posted by D-Mac at 04:20 PM | TrackBack (0)

'Inquirer' Fails To Attract Dot-Com Superheroes

If you're interested in the possible strike at the Inquirer and Daily News, you should definitely read Steve Volk's piece in PW today about the whole shebang. It's chock full of info, etc., etc. In it, the hiring of Bill Marimow as the Inquirer's new editor is discussed by various parties.

But the key part of the piece is this quote from Attytood blogger Will Bunch:

“There should've been somebody else announced with [Marimow],” he says. “Let's call him ‘Joe Google,' or ‘Joe Yahoo.' Somebody who'd have real power, who'd work with both newspapers to say, ‘Let's really use the Internet and adapt everything we're doing to this new medium because that's our future.' Marimow could've been the guy to make sure we adapt to the new technology in the right way, to keep our values and our mission as journalists intact.”

I believe the man Will Bunch is looking for is Jeeves. Hey, he's retired now, I bet he'd take a cushy job as Internet Superhero at the Inky.

Looks Good on Paper [PW]
Ask Jeeves [Wikipedia]

Posted by D-Mac at 01:12 PM | TrackBack (0)

Newspapers Prep For Strike

Another day, another memo from the Newspaper Guild. To recap: The contract between the Newspaper Guild, which represents nearly all the editorial employees of the Daily News and Inquirer, expires tomorrow at midnight. Although negotiations are going on now, it seems the Guild is preparing for a strike, after yesterday's message to take home your personal belongings and this last night:

Your negotiators met through the recent holiday, Monday and yesterday with the mediator. The Company did not have time to meet with us Monday. They did not have time to meet with us Tuesday. As of this writing, we’re hoping to have face-to-face talks tomorrow.

Soon, you will be hearing from the strike team about your picket shifts.

If you have not sent in your strike benefits form, please do so.

Yep. It's strike time. Full memo after the jump.

Continue reading "Newspapers Prep For Strike"

Posted by D-Mac at 12:36 PM | TrackBack (0)

November 28, 2006

Number Of Old Photos Of Daniel McQuade In Track Uniform In 'Daily News' Newsroom To Plummet

We're just under three days away from the contract expiration between the Newspaper Guild and management of the Inquirer and Daily News, and it seems like the possibility of a strike is inching closer.

Memo just released from the Newspaper Guild:

Please remove personal items that you use or value from the workplace before our current contract expires at midnight Thursday, November 30. If a strike becomes necessary, you will not be allowed to enter the building to retrieve your belongings.

Ruh roh. Full memo after the jump.

Continue reading "Number Of Old Photos Of Daniel McQuade In Track Uniform In 'Daily News' Newsroom To Plummet"

Posted by D-Mac at 12:53 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

November 22, 2006

Nefarious Plot To Put Out Horrible Scab Newspaper Revealed

In a press release last night, the Newspaper Guild, the union that represents a majority of the Daily News and Inquirer's editorial employees, discusses what, exactly, management plans to do if there is a strike at the end of the month when the contract expires.

Steve Volk reports today that both sides are preparing for the worst, with 3,000 picket signs being ordered by the union and management offering "Great Temporary Opportunities" for "[p]hotographers, artists, image designers, copy editors, page designers, reporters and news assistants. Newspaper experience a plus! $17-$20/hour.” It doesn't say what newspaper it is, but after a phone call it was revealed that it was at a newspaper whose employees could be striking come December. Take a guess.

The Guild adds this (emphasis mine):

A Guild member responded to the ad and got a company calling itself Strom Engineering. The Guild “job applicant” was told that the undisclosed company was a newspaper operation on the East Coast that “could be in Philly,” but Strom declined to be specific.

When the “job applicant” said he was interested in politics and would love to cover City Hall and government, but had no experience except for penning a few letters to the editor, he was told that may not be a problem. Send your resume along and we’ll try and take care of you, he was told.

When the caller said he had a couple friends looking for work too, including one who just got out of prison and was a great fighter, he was told to also have them send their resumes along, as there are no background checks.

If they got the job, the company is willing to pay reporters and other editorial employees an hourly rate based on a minimum 60-hour work week, with no benefits.

If there's a strike, look for the Daily News to finally publish O.J. Simpsons's If I Did It in serial form.