Frequently Asked Questions
Why are we part of a Providence-based Guild local?
How is our local unit run?
Where can I keep up with what’s going on?
Who are my information contacts?
Is the Telegram & Gazette a “Closed Shop”?
What are benefits to Guild membership that nonmembers don’t get?
What are the dues for Guild membership?
Why are we part of a Providence-based Guild local?
Not only did the PNG take on our unit at no charge for years before the first Worcester contract was signed, it just makes sense to have the professional staff unified and efficiently serving as many people as possible.
We have one administrator and an office assistant based in Providence serving Worcester, Woonsocket, Pawtucket and Providence.
Legal and other assistance is available to us from The Newspaper Guild’s national offices.
How is our local unit run?
Each employer workforce within the Southern New England Guild is a separate unit, steered by an elected unit council working on a volunteer basis. In addition all members vote for an executive board for the larger local.
Bargaining and other committees of the unit are formed to work on your behalf as needed. Volunteering for even a small role reinforces the vigor of other volunteers as we serve each other.
Where can I keep up with what’s going on?
Besides attending meetings a couple times a year, you can follow the Unit’s progress online at www.riguild.org and through a members-only listserve. Contact the Guild office about getting on the listserve.
Who are my information contacts?
Staff and unit contacts are listed on our Guild Contacts page.
Is the Telegram & Gazette a “Closed Shop”?
The contract currently in effect makes Guild membership an option. Your contract is very important to your working life.Its protections are a safety net for you and the security of your family.
Without it, anyone is an e-mail away from a decision that can take today’s tranquility and turn life upside down. The grievance procedure alone is worth its weight in gold. We can’t list in reasonable space the number of protections we have invoked on behalf of unit members.
The Guild is the sum of its parts. Our ability to advocate successfully for improved conditions, from wages to scheduling, is dependent on the voice we speak with. The more who opt in, the more we are a combined voice to be reckoned with. That also goes for seeing to it that those conditions we have already achieved are respected.
Strengthen the Guild, and you ensure your hard-won protections.
What are benefits to membership that nonmembers don’t get?
• Access to free online career skills training — an extensive catalog and a bigtime value.
• A free, $10,000 life insurance policy.
• A local scholarship program for dependents or others nominated by members, with recipients selected annually by lottery.
• A say in the terms the union negotiates that affect your wages, hours and working conditions.
• A modest holiday “gift.”
What are the dues to be a member?
There is a 1.6 percent payment, based on your pay. So the lower the pay, the lower the dues, and vice-versa. In addition there is a $35 per year scholarship fund assessment.
Dues are paid most easily through payroll deduction, just as you pay medical insurance or United Way contributions. That’s done through a simple form we submit to the company.
Less conveniently, via monthly assessments payable by plastic or check. A disadvantage is that people change debit or credit cards. Deduction means no hassle updating your auto-pay and keeps the modest payments evenly spread.