President Sandy Tan called the meeting to order at 5:10 p.m Tuesday, April 24, 2018 at The News’ second-floor conference room, One News Plaza.
Motion/Second/Carried Kirchberger/Gawron to approve the general meeting minutes for March.
“They’re very exceptional and complete,” said Tan.VP for Contract Administration Aaron Besecker issued his committee report.
The committee is meeting Thursday with management about three grievances, all which have previously been filed:
– Photo use Niagara Weekend
– Overreliance on stringers to produce NWeekend
– Geographical jurisdiction in C&RegionA Mike Kurilovitch story appeared in the local section; there was a discussion about this. Past practice has had Kurilovitch covering cops on weekends.
Teresa Sharp briefs that don’t run in Niagara Weekend are running in local section. The print edition is pulling extra briefs for the City & Region section.
Besecker said: “I think we have a strong case for all of them.”
Management is being stubborn in regards to the contract language that states that stringers can be used to supplement coverage.
Discussion of Niagara Weekend included the possibility that management may just decide to stop doing the section altogether.
VP for Mobilization Dan Kirchberger issued his committee report.
Happy Hour had about 10 people; Ellen is crushing the Frontier Reporter, which is coming soon; the mailchimp conversion is complete; squarespace conversion for the web site is in the works.
District manager Joan Portman, an employee for 36 years, including 32 as DM, agreed to join the executive committee after commiserating with fellow Guild members at the Guild happy hour.
New business
M/S/C Kirchberger/Besecker to request $50 be moved from the mobilization budget line to the the website fund to enable the transition from wordpress to squarespace.
Kirchberger reports that squarespace will cost $144 per year — the cost is $12 per month if paid all at once. It would be an extra $4 per month ($48 per year) over current host wordpress $96 per year for hosting.
“I would like to move us to squarespace,” Kirchberger said, noting that squarespace’s design is drag & drop, it has integrations with mailchip and is SSL secure.
Aaron Besecker reported on the Ohio Street Riverkeeper cleanup, which was just past the Tewksberry Lodge, the same site the Guild has worked on for years. It was organized by Henry Davis; there was great weather, among the things found were an animal skull, several tires and Scott Scanlon found six golf balls.
Sandy said that May 11, 2018 marks the 75th anniversary of News employees joining the Buffalo Newspaper Guild.
“We have a long and impressive history as a union shop,” Tan said. “We have a lot to be grateful for.”
Ellen Przepasniak and Kirchberger are looking into updating some Guild history for some sort of writeup, Tan said, before proposing the possibility of a celebration involving cake on the editorial floor.
An intense cake discussion followed.
M/S/C Tan/McShea to spend $50 from the mobilization budget to fund a celebration to mark the Guild’s 75th anniversary.
Kirchberger and Kim Leiser made it known that they voted no in what was an 8-2 landslide. “Strongly opposed!” Kirchberger said.
Tan will compose the anniversary text for the writeup.
Sandy Tan adjourned the meeting at 5:54 p.m.
Attendance: President Sandy Tan, Vice President/Grievances Aaron Besecker, Vice President/Mobilization Dan Kirchberger, Secretary Keith McShea, Administrative Officer Kim Leiser, inside circulation delegate Diana Gawron, editorial delegate/clerks chief steward Susan Kelley, editorial delegate Trey Bankhead, editorial alternate delegate Scott Scanlon.
Excused: Editorial delegates Mike Harrington and Mark Sommer, past president Henry Davis.
Absent: Treasurer and ABC chief steward Felice McMillion, nightside chief steward Mike Pesarchick; Frontier Reporter editor Ellen Pryzpasniak; editorial delegates Phil Fairbanks and David Robinson; inside circulation delegate Latrice Carr, district manager co-steward Phil Tavernier, editorial alternate delegate Jeff Miers, district manager alternate delegate Bob Snyder.
Buffalo Newspaper Guild CWA Local 31026 