December Grievances Update

The following grievances have been filed with the company. At this point, the company and Guild will meet to try to resolve these issues. If no resolution is agreed to the grievance returns back to our grievance committee where we can vote to send the issue to arbitration.

Use of temporary employees in distribution

The Guild is looking into the use of temporary employees in distribution.

ORGINAL UPDATE: The grievance committee has moved to file a grievance on this matter. This use of temporary employees is in violation of a side letter in the contract, a 2000 agreement with the company, Article VIII and past practice. The company and Guild have met on this matter and disagree.

CURRENT UPDATE: A grievance meeting occurred on this matter. The company said they understood our past practice arguments. The Guild made an offer to the company to have the four shifts temporary workers worked to be paid out at straight time to distribution assistants who were overlooked to settle this matter. The use of temporary employees in this capacity has ended. We are awaiting the company’s response.

Change in commission plan

We have filed a grievance over the change in commission plans in advertising.

LAST UPDATE: The company has accumulated the requested information. The Guild is waiting for it to be provided to us.

CURRENT UPDATE: The company has provided the Guild revenue and commissions for year-over-year nine-month periods. The company has paid out about less in commissions through September of 2006 compared to the first nine months of 2005, but revenue generated has also declined significantly year over year for this period. The Guild also just received a second piece of information comparing commissions paid in 2006 to what commissions would have been paid in 2006 had the previous plans been in place.  Further information on this matter will be presented at the December general membership meeting.

The Community Leader

We have filed a grievance based on the recent movement of work and changes made to the Community Leader based primarily on the jurisdiction language in our contract. Some community leader work (employees) has been moved inside 390 Congress, some Guild members are now doing Community Leader work, the Community Leader is now being inserted into the Press Herald, and we’re sharing management.

ORIGINAL UPDATE: The Guild has tolled (legal term that sets aside timelines) this issue while the company decides if it wants to negotiate this matter with our lawyer. We are awaiting a response.