October 2014 executive committee meeting minutes

Agenda emailed prior to meeting:

Guild Executive Committee Meeting Agenda for October 15, 2014

Agenda items include:

Committee Reports: Mobilization, Grievances, Finance
Bargaining Update
Holiday Party 2014 Update
Appoint Aaron Besecker of the Editorial Department as a representative to the Grievance Committee
Revisit Endorsement for TNG President/ Secretary Treasurer

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Wednesday, October 15, 2014

President Henry Davis called the meeting to order at 5:03 p.m, October 15, 2014 at The News’ second-floor conference room, One News Plaza.

Due to an illness in the family, Kim Leiser is absent, so there will be no finance committee report.

Mark Sommer’s report on grievances:

The Grievance Committee approved three grievances at its last meeting:

A Sportsman Tavern story was done by a stringer in City & Region. The Toronto Film Festival was covered by a stringer after being covered by Jeff Simon in previous years. There were stringer stories in Lewiston, Niagara Falls and Lockport which should not have been done; those are areas which are to be covered by Guild members.

All three instances were discussed with Brian Connolly.

Another grievance approved by the committee regarded work in circulation being taken away from Guild members as part of the name change to “transportation and delivery.” The guild and management are discussing that as part of negotiations and are hoping to settle it there.

Phil Fairbanks reported on mobilization and the guild’s efforts during negotiations.

Henry Davis provided an overall update on negotiations, including health care being clarified.

Davis mentioned the guild’s pair of informational meetings tomorrow (October 16) in which it will be briefing members on negotiations.

New business

Motion/Second/Carried Sommer/Robinson to appoint Aaron Besecker to the grievance committee.

Davis revisited the topic of endorsing a candidate for president of the CWA. Davis explained that longtime Guild consultant and advocate Marian Needham has been named as the running mate of current president Bernie Lunzer.

M/S/C Fairbanks/Harrington to endorse Lunzer as our choice as President of The Newspaper Guild.

Davis and Turnbull discussed this year’s holiday party. The “overriding thought” is to again make the event free for members.

M/S/C Fairbanks/Besecker to approve spending up to what we spent last year — $5,000 — on a holiday party with the provision that more monespending money could be approved in the future if needed.

There is an IRE committee workshop scheduled at The News. Aaron Besecker has worked hard to ensure that guild members were scheduled for work days for the workshop.

M/S/C Fairbanks/Kelley to approve the September 2014 executive committee meeting minutes as published on the Guild’s web site.

M/S/C Davis/McShea to adjourn at 5:45 p.m.

Attendance: President Henry Davis, Vice President/Grievances Mark Sommer, Vice President/Mobilization Phil Fairbanks, Secretary Keith McShea, office manager Tammy Turnbull, ABC chief steward Felice McMillion, classified delegate Beverly Gniewecki, district manager chief steward Dick Fay, editorial delegates Aaron Besecker, Mike Harrington and David Robinson, editorial delegate/clerks chief Susan Kelley, nightside chief steward Mike Pesarchick,

Excused: Treasurer Kim Leiser, district manager delegate Bob Snyder, editorial delegates Denise Jewell Gee.

Absent: Past president Pat Gormley, editorial delegate Trey Bankhead.