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Trouble on our doorstep. Read all about it in the summer/fall edition of The Frontier Reporter
We had some political mayhem and the close of Lee Enterprises’ fiscal year, all of which has spelled trouble for the Guild. Check out new features and all the Guild news you may have from the summer and fall in the latest edition of The Frontier Reporter newsletter.
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Executive Committee Meeting Minutes March 2021
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. (more…)
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Executive Committee Meeting Minutes February 2021
President Sandy Tan called the meeting to order at 5:05 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021 via Zoom.
Motion/Second/Carried Harrington/Gawron to approve the executive minutes for December 2020 and January 2021 once typos are corrected.
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Guild members ratify tentative agreement
8.6.21 – Buffalo Newspaper Guild members overwhelmingly ratified the bargaining team’s tentative agreement with The Buffalo News/Lee Enterprises in a 75-1 vote tallied Friday afternoon. The three-year deal offers a Guild-wide 5% raise and improves Guild jurisdiction and other important benefits.
But it also allows for the company to outsource work in several departments and offers new pension enhancements and 401(k) contributions in exchange for the freezing of the Guild pension plan.
“To see this level of support for the tentative agreement is the ultimate reward for our bargaining team,” said Guild President Sandy Tan. “We really struggled with difficult compromises. This vote tells us our members believe us when we say we reached the best deal possible under new ownership.”
Beyond Guild-wide raises, all members will receive a $1,000 signing bonus for full-timers, and a $500 signing bonus for part-timers in October. The new agreement also includes “wage equity” raises that add $1 per hour to wages in Inside Circulation, Accounting and our part-time district managers.
The contract also provides non-exclusive digital jurisdiction, which is vital to the union’s future, and the company’s commitment to label all online sponsored content. The deal provides more paid days off, a work from home policy, and a greater commitment to diversity hiring and anti-discrimination policies.
Existing health care benefits continue under the new contract. The company also backed off of proposals to cut mileage reimbursements and to weaken seniority-based layoffs and cut the News’ Editorial Print Desk. Compromises were made in regard to severance for new hires, extended sick leave and certain job security provisions.
The agreement includes unavoidable concessions, including the outsourcing of Inside Circulation, Accounting and the Editorial Design Desk. The deal would also allow the freeze and merger of the Editorial pension and will weaken job security language, and reduce severance for new hires.
However, all employees whose jobs will be outsourced will be entitled to enhanced severance. Page designers will also receive short-term job security through 2022 and may be offered remote work opportunities at Lee design centers. Outsourced customer service jobs will stay in the United States. The company also intends to hire more full-time district managers and may offer part-time district managers voluntary buyouts as part of any future restructuring.
While the company will have the right to freeze and merge the Guild’s pension plan, members will receive pension enhancements and 401(k) contributions not available under the existing contract.
The company will offer two months advance notice of a pension freeze and four months advance notice of any outsourcing. In either event, the union will contract with financial planners to help members protect their savings and make smart decisions regarding their retirement.
The bargaining team thanks the many Guild and community members who did their part to aid mobilization and communication efforts. It made a difference. Tan reserved special thanks for the members of the bargaining team – Kim Leiser, the Guild’s administrator and chief negotiator, Diana Gawron, Mike McAndrew and Joan Portman, without whom this deal would not have been possible.
“A key takeaway from these negotiations is that the community cares about The Buffalo News, its future and its people,” Tan said. “I think both sides learned a lot over these past five months. Labor peace has value, and we look forward to working cooperatively with the company going forward, as always.”
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Buffalo Newspaper Guild reaches tentative agreement with The Buffalo News and Lee Enterprises
The Buffalo Newspaper Guild and The Buffalo News/Lee Enterprises reached a tentative agreement on a new three-year contract on Friday, July 30. The agreement comes after five months of bargaining over a lengthy list of proposals on both sides.
In light of the tentative agreement, the Guild is ending its two-week byline strike and thanks the Western New York community for its tremendous outpouring of support.
Since the beginning, the Guild has sought to protect local journalism and to protect the people who enable The Buffalo News to meet its journalistic mission.
“We believe this tentative agreement represents a good deal for our members, and a much better deal than what many other newspaper workers across the country are getting,” said Guild President Sandra Tan. “Our thanks goes to the Western New York community, which has stood with us over these past few months and helped make this agreement possible.”
Nearly 1,800 community members signed a petition asking Lee Enterprises and The Buffalo News to protect local journalism and reach a deal with the Guild. Additionally, roughly two dozen elected leaders and community organizations stood with the Guild at a time when our union members most needed their support.
The tentative agreement, which is subject to ratification by the Guild membership, includes both gains and compromises. It also protects many of the union’s existing contractual rights and benefits.
Details of the tentative agreement will be shared with Guild members on Monday, Aug. 2.
“We believe this negotiation highlights the important role newspaper unions play in protecting local journalism and the people who make that work possible,” Tan said. “We believe the community recognizes that here in Western New York, and we are very grateful.”
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U.S. SENATE MAJORITY LEADER CHARLES SCHUMER AND HOUSE WAYS & MEANS COMMITTEE MEMBER REP. BRIAN HIGGINS CALL ON LEE ENTERPRISES TO NEGOTIATE IN GOOD-FAITH WITH THE BUFFALO NEWSPAPER GUILD
MOBILE BILLBOARD BRINGS GUILD MESSAGES TO DAVENPORT, IOWA
Buffalo, NY – Today the Buffalo Newspaper Guild | CWA Local 31026 announced additional support from regional and national leaders, including statements by U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer and U.S. House of Representatives Ways & Means Committee member Rep. Brian Higgins. These leaders (excerpts below) are calling on the new owner of The Buffalo News—which is Davenport, Iowa-based Lee Enterprises—to negotiate in good faith with Guild representatives and avoid potential job cuts, benefit reductions, creative and design position outsourcing, and the unnecessary shifting of pension funds out-of-state.
“As we’ve said over the last several days, the Guild is at a critical juncture in our negotiations with Lee Enterprises, and we implore the company to reach terms with us that will protect local jobs and keep our award-winning newsroom products intact,” said Guild President Sandra Tan. “The Buffalo News is part of the fabric of Western New York. It would be a total disservice to our many valued readers and advertisers to ship jobs out of town and weaken the community appeal of our news operation. We understand the need for any company to make money, but we ask Lee to reconsider proposals borne of pure corporate greed.”
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Buffalo News employees fight demands of out-of-state owner
Buffalo, NY — The Buffalo Newspaper Guild, bolstered by the outpouring of support from
community leaders across the region, is calling on The Buffalo News to stop its assault on the
region’s daily paper and local jobs.At a morning news conference, the largest union at The Buffalo News announced a series of
community actions – including a billboard, petition and byline strike – in response to Lee
Enterprises’ continued demands to weaken job security protections and outsource local union
jobs to its non-union hubs in other states and Mexico.Lee, the Iowa-based media chain that bought The News early last year, is seeking the power to
lay off Guild-represented workers for any reason. Lee also wants to freeze workers’ pensions,
even though the pension costs the company nothing, and slash many other employee benefits.
Ultimately, Lee’s bargaining proposals, which include outsourcing the jobs of copy editors and
international award-winning page designers, will weaken the paper and hurt the community’s
access to strong local news coverage. -
Community leaders stand with the Buffalo Newspaper Guild
Local leaders across this community are calling on Lee Enterprises to stop its assault on our
local paper and local jobs. Read why they stand with the Buffalo Newspaper Guild: -
Assistant city editor opening at The Buffalo News
6.26.21 — The Buffalo News is hiring an assistant city editor to join its staff, which is a Guild-represented positions. The full advertisement, with information on the opening and how to apply is below.
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The Buffalo News seeks an assistant city editor who is focused on the details, competitive and good at communicating goals.
We are looking for an enthusiastic editor who shuns “for the record” coverage in favor of turning the day’s developments into must-read journalism that helps readers navigate their days.
That means clearly defining where your team is headed and developing goals for reporters to get there. The ideal candidate will bring a fresh perspective to long-established work, be comfortable working with skilled, veteran reporters and be able to develop coverage plans for breaking news and big events.
This is a fast-paced job with a primary focus on working with reporters and frontline editing, from developing story ideas to guiding the reporting process to making stories shine. To apply, send clips and a resume to recruiter@buffnews.com.
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Buffalo Bills beat reporter opening at The Buffalo News
6.25.21 — The Buffalo News is hiring a Buffalo Bills reporter to join its staff, which is a Guild-represented positions. The full advertisement, with information on the opening and how to apply, is below.
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Buffalo News readers have an insatiable appetite for the Bills – we publish at least one Bills story every day, often many more – and we are looking for an experienced and aggressive reporter who can take them behind the scenes at One Bills Drive.
Our ideal candidate will be able to break news and tell great stories, often simultaneously. He or she will be as comfortable working sources as sitting in the press box covering the game. We are looking for someone whose writing reflects ambition and enterprise and can provide expert analysis on our No. 1 franchise topic.
A deep knowledge of football is a must. NFL coverage experience is preferred.
Other requirements include:
- Proficiency in social media as a reporting and reader engagement tool
- Ability to write quickly, clearly and accurately on deadline
- Digital fluency
- Effective time management skills given multiple responsibilities and travel commitments.
The team and our city are on the upswing. Despite its Rust Belt reputation, Buffalo is one of the best places in the United States. We are in the midst of a revitalization, young people are arriving to take new economy jobs and warehouses are being rehabbed into great apartments. (More than 100,000 students attend the region’s 23 colleges and universities.) The city has two professional sports teams, a philharmonic, a growing waterfront, 27 theater companies, a burgeoning medical campus and plenty of attitude. Buffalo also has some of the best summer weather in the world and great summer recreation on our two Great Lakes – Erie and Ontario. Not to mention Niagara Falls, Toronto and ski slopes all within a short drive.
Interested candidates should email a resume, a letter outlining how you will help make us better and writing samples that show the diversity of your work to Executive Sports Editor Josh Barnett at jbarnett@buffnews.com.
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Business of sports reporter opening at The Buffalo News
6.25.21 — The Buffalo News is hiring a business of sports reporter to join its staff, which is a Guild-represented positions. The full advertisement, with information on the opening and how to apply is here, and below.
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The Buffalo News seeks a reporter to cover the business of sports.
Buffalo has a collection of big sports businesses, and they are a surprisingly big part of the Buffalo business scene. What happens to the Buffalo Bills, the Buffalo Sabres and the sports empire behind those teams is one of the region’s biggest business stories. Private companies headquartered in Buffalo are among the largest in sports concessions and apparel companies.
We’re looking for a reporter who can dig into the financial operations of the region’s sports companies; detail the business and real estate dealings done by players, coaches and owners; break news on the ongoing discussions over whether to build a new NFL stadium; and explain why it all matters.
This is a job focused on what happens off the field. The successful candidate should be as comfortable developing a deep network of sources as combing through public records for clues about private deals, net worth and real estate transactions.
Must have a proven ability to break news, turn around in-depth and quick-hit stories on tight deadlines and juggle the demands of reaching digital audiences. Candidates should also be comfortable using data to find stories and bolster reporting.
The Buffalo News is an award-winning news organization with the largest staff of journalists in upstate New York. We have a history of breaking the area’s big stories and investing in the stories that matter.
Why Buffalo? The region is a lot more than chicken wings and snow. The city has seen a resurgence that makes it an exciting time to work and live here. Aside from professional sports teams, the city has a philharmonic, a growing waterfront, a burgeoning medical campus and plenty of attitude. Not to mention Niagara Falls, beautiful hikes and ski slopes all within a short drive.
Send cover letter and resume to recruiter@buffnews.com.
Buffalo Newspaper Guild CWA Local 31026 