President Sandy Tan called the meeting to order at 5:03 p.m. Tuesday, March 9, 2021 via Zoom.
Tan and other committee members warmly welcomed James Farrell, a new executive committee representative from the Sun Papers.
There are no minutes to approve.
Grievance Committee Report
Vice President for Contract Enforcement Aaron Besecker reported on current grievances.
* The committee approved filing a grievance as a Guild member promoted to management is still doing Guild work, including answering emails.
* There is a DM issue in that The News has decided DMs will negotiate contracts — that must be bargained before it can be done: it is a unilateral change that needs to be bargained; it is also an unfair labor practice because it’s been bargained before. Right now this issue is being dealt with as part of the bargaining process.
* Administrative Officer Kim Leiser spoke with TNG officer Marian Needham about our second grievance about sponsored content online; that issue will likely be something the Guild emphasizes during bargaining.
* Management rejected the grievance over sports pagination clerk work, and the Guild is seeking more information about this.
Mobilization Committee Report
Vice President for Communication and Mobilization Rachel Lenzi provided an overview of steps being taken during bargaining, including the face masks and buttons, which members will share via photos that the Guild will put out via social media.
Lenzi and Tan were hopeful that a music video would be put together by some members.
music video hoping to put together
There will be more mobilization discussion after the bargaining update, said Tan and Lenzi.
President’s Report
Tan provided an update on bargaining, including a meeting that took place yesterday.
The News delivered a presentation by two actuaries about the pension plan, while the company had several counter proposals. The Guild is in the process of hiring its own actuary. The Guild also made several counter proposals.
Old business
The committee revisited the Teledoc proposal from two meetings ago.
Leiser obtained more information from the Philadelphia group which offers the service; she sees Teledoc as being a service we offer to our part-time members. “It’s essentially health-care coverage for our members,” she said, noting that there are a total of 75 part-time members of the Guild. She said that it would cost $57 per member for 12 months of coverage.
Tan noted that the only stipulation would be that if the cost of the premium goes up, it would come back before executive committee.
Motion/Second/Carried Leiser/Gawron to approve The Guild signing up for TeleDoc and approving a maximum cost of $4,275 per year, for a maximum of 75 members at $57 per member; and that this plan will be renewable as long as the cost does not change; the Guild will revisit TeleDoc if the rate increases.
New business
M/S/C Besecker/Lenzi to approve Leiser’s attendance of a two-day virtual symposium held by the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service at a cost of $75.
The symposium covers how to prepare and build a case for arbitration, what do arbitrators look for, etc.
M/S/C Tan/McShea to set Guild executive meetings for Wednesday, April 14 and Monday, May 17 and set a general meeting for May 19 at noon and 5:30 p.m.
Tan adjourned the meeting at 6:13 p.m.
Attendance: President Sandy Tan, Vice President/Grievances Aaron Besecker, Vice President/Mobilization Rachel Lenzi, Treasurer and Inside Circulation steward Diana Gawron, Secretary Keith McShea, Administrative Officer Kim Leiser, Sun Papers steward James Farrell, District Manager steward Joan Portman, Editorial delegate Mike Harrington, Editorial delegate Mark Sommer, Editorial delegate Scott Scanlon, Editorial delegate David Robinson, Past President Phil Fairbanks.
Excused:.
Absent: Typographical dayside steward Hilary Osborn, Typographical nightside steward Mark Hanover, Editorial nightside steward Mike Pesarchick, District Manager alternate delegate Bob Snyder, Editorial alternate delegate Jeff Miers.
Buffalo Newspaper Guild CWA Local 31026 