President Pat Gormley called the meeting to order at 5:45 p.m, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2010 at CWA District 1 Office, 821 Elk St., Buffalo.
Motion/Second/Carried Tan/Leiser to approve the minutes as published at buffaloguild.org.
Sandy Tan provided an update from mobilization, including that there are stickers in the works.
New business
M/S/C Tan/Fairbanks that Aaron Besecker be elected to the executive committee as a representative from editorial.
M/S/C Fairbanks/Tan that Jim Heaney be elected finance committee chair following the resignation of Dave Irwin.
M/S/C Gormley/Gniewecki that the Classified Advertisement Employment Incentive Agreement, as recommended by the executive committee, be approved by the local.
M/S/C Leiser/Fairbanks that three representatives be sent to The Newspaper Guild regional meeting in Cleveland in April 2010.
Gormley noted that the days of sending “four, five, six people to these are over.”
M/S/C Irwin/Leiser that one representative be sent to the 2010 national meeting.
New business:
Marian Needham summarized The News’ wishes to ask the Guild for cost-cutting measures.
The News made no such wishes known during a meeting with national Guild leadership and Needham in Washington, D.C. However, less than a week later Dan Farberman informed Guild representatives at the Labor Management Committee meeting that The News would be asking the Guild for cost-cutting measures.
The News has no concrete plan of what those cost-cutting measures will be at this time.
Jim Heaney summarized the recent Labor Management Committee meeting, which focused on The News’ online plan — which most Guild representatives were encouraged by. Heaney also went over the financial numbers relayed at the meeting.
M/S/C Irwin/Heaney to agree to a request for reimbursement for hospitalization in the amount of $400.
New members: Megan Carr, Debrah Haight, Elise Layton, Donnell West, Andrea Brough, Christopher Yeager and Rachel Stern (all circulation)
M/S/C Gormley/Tan to adjourn at 6:50 p.m.
Buffalo Newspaper Guild CWA Local 31026 