Providence Newspaper Guild - Guild Leader June 28, 2000

GUILD LEADER

Vol XI, No. 54

TNG/CWA Local 31041

June 28, 2000

DELIVERY REPS VOTE NO, 53 to 37

Outside circulation workers voted 53 to 37 not to join the Providence Newspaper Guild in a mail ballot election tallied yesterday by the National Labor Relations Board.

The vote came as a disappointment to the Guild, because it means that 100 of the company’s lowest paid workers will not get the job security, grievance protections, guaranteed benefits and other advantages of unionization.
And it means that the Guild itself – at least for now – cannot welcome an important unit of workers into the group of 500 editorial, advertising and housekeeping workers that the union already represents.

The results follow an anti-union campaign waged by the company to discourage District Service Representatives from joining. The campaign seemed to mirror the company’s drive against the Guild itself during the on-going negotiations for a new contract.

In a letter-writing campaign and in personal meetings with the circulation workers, the company sought to sow discord between the workers and union activists, and to frighten them into believing that they might lose benefits they now enjoy.

There was also a widespread rumor that the DSRs would receive a wage increase of up to $5 an hour if they voted against the Guild. The DSR pay levels currently compare poorly to those of janitors in the Guild unit, $8.90 to $11.63 an hour for DSRs, compared to $9.95 to $13.47 for janitors, with most DSRs working part-time.

Management also pointed to the lack of a contract between the Guild and the newspaper so far to replace the pact that expired in January. That was a self-fulfilling charge since the company itself has engaged in what the Guild believes are illegal tactics that have delayed negotiations.

The company had been on the attack from the beginning, first trying to get the NLRB to block the election with the preposterous argument that the DSRs were management, a proposition that the NLRB quickly dismissed.

For its part, the Guild entered the election process with the clear understanding that a substantial majority of DSRs wanted union representation. The Guild announced April 20 that a majority of the 100 workers had signed cards saying they wanted to join.

Organizing drives are historically difficult, and it sometimes takes several attempts to win, precisely because of the fierce opposition typical of management.

The Guild itself needed more than one election when it was founded more than a quarter century ago to represent newsroom workers, who later were joined by the advertising unit.

And it is likely that in the future, another organizing drive will be made in the circulation department.

COMPANY OFFERS TO RESUME TALKS

With the DSR organizing campaign over, the Journal has offered to resume contract talks with the Guild. However, the company offer of available negotiating dates is not without strings.

The company is conditioning its willingness to meet on the Guild making "meaningful changes" in its proposals.

The Guild substantially modified its proposals on May 3. The Journal has refused to meet to respond to that proposal. However, the company has written the Guild rejecting the May 3 proposal.